All you need is love
by hipotamus
Summary: [complete!] HG. Follows the love of Harry and Ginny through the bad times as well as the good. Set after the final battle, but the war rages on. Harry and Ginny overcome death and distance to be together. Romance with plot. r&r!
1. All you need is love

**A/N: just a one-shot between Ginny and Harry.quite sad but sweet. hope you like it. please please please review!**

It was Christmas night, almost ten o'clock when Ginny walked into the living room. Harry was in there. Almost turning around, she decided not to. He was the one making a big deal out of this. Not her. If he didn't want to see her, then he had to be the one to go. Sticking her chin out stubbornly, she strode over to the fireplace and began to warm her hands. Neither spoke. However, when she turned to warm the back of her legs, Harry was standing right behind her.

She jumped in surprise and almost fell into the fire. Harry grabbed her elbow to steady her.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "S'ok."

Harry looked up, at the ceiling above her head. Mistletoe hung, tied with red ribbon. Ginny looked up as well and smiled: she had put that there yesterday then forced to witness Bill and Fleur, Hermione and Ron, Remus and Tonks, and (worst of all) her mum and dad, all have a good snog under it. Maybe now it was her turn. Her heart began to beat quickly and her breath shortened. But as Harry moved even closer, she took a step back, again almost stepping into the fire. Harry turned red and scowled. Annoyance was beginning to fizz under her skin. Since when did Harry decide when they were going out? It didn't seem fair, that he could start and stop their relationship whenever it was convenient for him.

Harry stepped backwards and sunk his hands into his pockets. He was looking at her questioningly. He felt extremely stupid. She didn't want to kiss him. Did that mean she no longer loved him. Had he ruined his chance? Was she actually really angry with him?

"You can't have it both ways. I don't want just a bit of you, Harry. I want all of you, all the time. Not when you decide."

"But Ginny, I can't."

"Then you can't just kiss me whenever you feel like it. I want to be with you Harry. Those looks you give me, each time you touch me, I die inside because I know I can't have you but I don't understand why."

Harry gave a weak smile. "It's for some stupid noble reason," he said.

"Which we both know is pointless and, well, stupid. I'm in love with you and I don't think anything could change that. I'm not afraid to die for that love."

"But see that's the thing, Ginny," Harry said angrily. "I'm afraid! If you died, I would _never_ forgive myself."

"Do you love me?" she asked very quietly.

"That's not the point."

"Then what is? What difference does it make if we're going out or not? I'm still going to love you regardless and I'm pretty sure you feel the same way."

Harry didn't speak for a long time. "Yeah I do," he finally agreed. "I do love you. With all my heart." He reached for her hand and took it in his own.

She smiled. "Maybe you could prove that love to me."

He looked quizzically at her, not understanding. "Do I need to?"

"Well", she took his other hand and drew small circles on his palm. "We could always go back to your flat."

Harry took a step back from her. This was unexpected. Truthfully, he had thought about Ginny and him alone in his flat a number of times. He was, after all, male. But she was only sixteen. He was only seventeen but still, he didn't want to take away her innocence.

Ginny seemed to have read his thoughts and scowled. "I know what I want, Harry. I'm not a child."

"Maybe not tonight."

"Why not? Harry, I want to do this, I'm ready."

"Well, my flat still smells like paint," he began. She rolled her eyes. "Listen, I want our first time to be really romantic. Something really special."

"It's Christmas. What's more romantic then that? And it's _us_. That's all there is to it. And," she swallowed, "we might not have a chance again. Soon you'll have to face him. Who knows what will happen."

"Gee, thanks for the confidence," he said but grinned. "Still maybe not tonight. Your parents won't like it."

"They'll never know," she whispered.

Harry paused, thinking, but finally gave into his feelings. She was right; life is too short to waste, and his could be shorter than most.

When Ron walked back into the living room, mugs of hot chocolate in his hand, he found it completely empty. "I go to all this trouble and everyone leaves." He continued to mumble darkly to himself as he went back into the kitchen.

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With a pop, Harry and Ginny arrived on a dark street corner in a well-known wizarding area of London. He took her hand and pulled his jacket tighter around him. Snow was beginning to fall again, reflecting the bright shop lights. The street was really beautiful that night.

"It's this building," Harry said, leading Ginny into a rather old-ish building and up three flights of stairs. When they reached the top, they were facing an empty wall.

Harry pulled her close and whispered into her ear, "I live in number 8, Penton Place."

Ginny frowned, confused, but as soon as Harry had spoken, a door appeared in front of them. Harry opened the door for her and followed her inside. The front hall opened into a small kitchen, connected to a rather large living-diner. The whole far wall was a window, with a beautiful view of the city. A spiral staircase led upstairs and a hall led off of the living room.

"Woah," she breathed, pulling off her hat, scarf, gloves and jacket and laying them over the back of the sofa. A Christmas tree stood glinting in the corner, fairy-lights twinkling. With a wave of his wand, the fireplace was lit. Another wave and a soft light filled the room as if hundreds of candles had been placed around it. "It's very neat," she said with a laugh. "I would have expected something more messy. Like Ron's room back home. But less…orange."

Harry smiled, strolled over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. With a wave of the wand, the cork was out and two glasses were being magically filled. Looking up, Harry saw Ginny was standing by the window, looking out at the lit up city.

"Christmas in the city _is_ beautiful," Ginny said. Picking up the glasses, Harry walked over to her and gave her one. "You're being quiet. It's not like you."

Harry chuckled. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too. Care to give me a tour?"

"Sure," Harry said. He led her down the hall and pointed out the downstairs toilet, a guestroom, another guestroom that Ron had claimed, and a small study. Upstairs was just his bedroom and an en-suite bathroom.

"Are you sure your parents won't miss you?" Harry asked nervously, putting his glass down and pulling off his sweater. Ginny nodded smiling. With a wave of her wand, she lit the fireplace in his room and conjured candles to float around. "Ginny your not supposed to –"

But Ginny cut him off. "I turn seventeen in less than a month. And anyway, they'll never know." She grinned mischievously and put her glass down on the small coffee table by the fire. Harry took her hands and made her sit down in the armchair. He sat on the table in front of her. He knew what he had to do. He would tell her about the Horcruxes, about the prophecy. He'd tell her everything he'd told Ron and Hermione because she had a right to know the whole thing before she chose to love him.

Ginny listened in silence and nodded her head when he finished speaking.

"What do you think?" Harry asked.

"Well, it sounds hard. But you've found the cup and the box right? Only one left to find."

Harry sighed. "But I don't know where it is. I have no clue. How am I supposed to find something when I don't even know what I'm looking for?"

"You'll figure it out. I have complete faith in you."

Harry wanted to cry in relief, but he didn't. She wasn't running away from him scared like he feared she would. It didn't bother her that Voldemort would come looking for him. She'd stick by him no matter what.

Taking her face in his hands, Harry kissed her sweetly. She returned the kiss lovingly, hungrily. Her hands were on the hem of his shirt, pulling it up, but he stood and backed away a bit. Ginny sighed and closed her eyes. "What _now_?" she asked in exasperation.

"I'm still not sure if we should do this."

"Harry! Are you trying to protect me? I'm not even a year younger than you. I don't _need_ protecting. I'm not a child Harry!"

"I just know how important this is and I don't want you to regret it."

"It'll happen between us anyway. Why wait?"

Ginny stood and went over to him. In a moment her arms were around his neck, his on her hips. Harry's shirt was off before he even noticed and he pressed against her for warmth. Ginny's knees began to tremble. If Harry let go of her, she'd fall down for sure. Harry's hands were working on her belt as they stumbled backwards towards the bed. Ginny fell onto it and sat but Harry managed to stay upright.

Grinning shyly at her, he took of his shoes. She took off her boots and slid further back along the covers. Harry crawled onto the bed after her. He wanted to hold her, never let her go, but she was now pulling off her sweater. Her shirt came off with it and she chucked them both on the floor. Shivering, Harry crawled under the covers and pulled her under with him. Then he held her very close, the material of her tank top was all that separated their bare skin.

Harry kissed the top of her head as she buried her nose into the hollow where his throat met his collarbone. Her nose was cold and Harry laughed, pulling away slightly to look into her brown eyes. Then she began to work on his belt buckle. Her fingers scrabbled at the metal, pushing and pulling, trying to get it undone but it wouldn't. Tears of frustration filled her eyes.

This wasn't right, she thought. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. It was too mechanical. Suddenly Ginny let out a sob and let go of his belt. Harry closed his eyes, hiding his disappointment. Now Ginny was moving away, getting out of the bed and looking for her shirt. Harry also climbed out and in two steps was standing by her. Slowly, he reached out and touched the back of her neck. She turned, her face turning red. They looked into each other's eyes for a long time.

"Why does it have to be you?" she finally asked.

"Voldemort chose me. I don't know why. But I'm glad he did."

"Well I'm not!" she cried out, tears overflowing and streaming down her face. "What if the worst happens and I don't see you again?"

Harry pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. They remained like that for a long time, until Ginny had stopped sobbing. Putting two fingers under her chin, Harry lifted her face towards his own. He kissed her gently then said, "If I die, I want to die with the taste of you on my lips."

"Please don't," she whispered, now unable to stop the steady flow of tears.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked.

"I feel like such a baby," she replied, sniffling, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.

"Don't be stupid, Gin."

With a small, inaudible sigh, Harry took her hand. With a pop, they vanished and with another pop they were standing outside the Burrow in two feet of snow.

"Let's go inside before I freeze to death," Harry said, pulling her into the house. Two mugs of cold chocolate sat on the kitchen counter. Harry pointed his wand at them and steam rose in swirls above the dark brown liquid. Handing one to Ginny, he took a seat at the table.

Ginny blew softly on her hot chocolate. "Do you hate me?" she asked.

Harry choked. "Why would I hate you?"

She shrugged and took a sip. "I'm sorry about this evening."

The minute hand ticked onto the number twelve. "Christmas is over."

"Another year. I hate it when Christmas is done, just like that."

"Ginny, about tonight." He paused as she met his eyes. "It'll happen between us, but maybe it was a good thing it didn't tonight. You're going back to school in a week and I have to leave too."

"I want to go with you," she said, grabbing his hand and lacing their fingers together. "Please let me come."

Harry brushed a tear off her face and told her the answer she'd been expecting: that they might never see each other again. Ginny looked down. When she looked back up, Harry had gone.

**Please Review! Even if you don't have any particular feelings towards this. Love it? Hate it? COuldn't Care Less? Me either! let me know! REVIEW! **


	2. Love is all you need

**A/N: was asked to continue, so i wrote this awhile ago. decded to make it one story now instead of two. Remember, if you want to read the whole stody, read _What if the end was just the beginning. _It is quite good, so give it a shot...**

**Lol this has now been updated as I got like five people telling me I messed up. Ginny's eyes are brown. Oops. **

**As anger and passion burn away, the dark glistening rock of love remains, whole and untainted.**

Setting: Harry has just defeated Lord Voldemort and has returned triumphantly to the Burrow...

The burrow was lit up, music pounding out into the warm night. People filled the house, spilling out into the garden. Harry stepped inside the kitchen and was met by a roar of sound. Fireworks, made by George and Fred banged and whizzed above the guests' heads. Noise and laughter reverberated around the room, as people celebrated. After an hour of being congratulated by unknown people, acquaintances and friends, Harry made his way up the stairs. He passed Ron and Hermione making out on the first landing.

"Oi," Harry said as he whacked Ron on the back of the head.

"Geez, Harry. I almost swallowed Hermione's tongue, what was that for?"

"Where's Ginny?" he asked.

"Dunno, haven't seen her. She was in the living room about an hour ago. Maybe she went to bed?"

Harry thanked him and hurried up the stairs to Ginny's bedroom. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. Slowly he twisted the door handle and let himself in. Ginny was lying on her bed, reading a magazine. She looked up when he walked in.

"What do you want?" she asked. Her voice wasn't accusing or angry, just indifferent. Harry wanted to disappear through the floor.

"I was looking for you," he said lamely.

"Well you found me."

Harry scuffed his foot on the floor.

"Why didn't you write?" yelled Ginny suddenly. "Five months and not a single owl."

Harry looked up at her, shocked. It hadn't occurred to him to write. He didn't think she wanted him to.

"I thought it'd be better if I didn't. It'd be too hard." Summing up his courage, Harry walked over and sat next to her on the bed. "I'm sorry."

"Do you even love me anymore?"

"I never stopped!" Harry said incredulously.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. She was so in love with this man in front of her but she was so angry with him as well. How could he treat her like this? Come crawling back whenever it was convenient for him…Ginny stood and walked over to the door. Holding it open she motioned for him to leave. Confused, Harry walked over to her.

"Ginny…I –"

"Don't say it Harry. What if we'd made love on Christmas? Would it be any different?"

Harry knew if he said 'yes' she'd hate him. But if he said 'no' it would be just as bad.

"We agreed we couldn't see each other while Voldemort still wanted me dead."

"No Harry! You said that! _Last_ summer. Then at Christmas, if you happen to remember, you told me you loved me and nothing would stop that. Then, if you remember, we _almost_ slept together. That's not breaking up is it? I'm not your puppet Harry." She shoved him to get him out of her room, out of her life but he grabbed her arms and made her look at him.

"No. I'm not walking away from you. Not this time. I'm in love with you, and I know you feel the same way."

"Let go of me," she said struggling in his grip and actually hitting him. He tried to pull her closer but she wrenched her arm out of his loose grip and hit him again.

"I've cried enough over you, Harry Potter. Don't make me cry again."

"I never meant to make you cry, Gin. I just wanted you to be safe. That's all I've ever wanted." He put a hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off, stepping hard on his foot. They wrestled for a few more moments until they fell collapsing on the floor.

"You'll be the death of me Harry Potter," she murmured as Harry kissed his way down her neck and closed the door with his foot. Then, she pushed him off of her with such force all the wind was knocked out of him and dove on top of him, kissing every part of him she could reach until they lay, foreheads touching, tears and sweat mingling together. "Make love to me, Harry," she whispered.

Harry gazed into her brown eyes then pointed his wand at the door. With a flick of the wrist it was locked. Then he lifted her carefully on to the bed and laid her down. Sitting next to her he leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers. Her fingers found the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his thin body. Harry helped and pulled the shirt off of his head. Then his fingers were working on the buttons of her shirt; slowly unbuttoning it one by one.

"Please, don't ever leave me again?" It wasn't an order but a request. Her eyes were round and pleading.

"Never," Harry whispered slipping her shirt off of her shoulders. She sat up so he could take it off fully. Carefully she took his belt in her hand and undid it without difficulty. "Practiced I see?" Harry said, eyes twinkling.

"Shut up."

Harry looked down at her body; her pale white skin and soft curves of her chest. She noticed where he was looking and smiled, taking his hand in hers and leading it towards the clasp between her breasts. Harry fumbled but finally managed to undo it. It sprang apart quickly, contrasting with the slow way they were undressing each other. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he slipped it off of her, letting her breasts fall out. Harry was about to reach out to her when he realised his jeans were gone.

"That's not fair, Ginny. You can't just vanish my pants! That's not how we're doing it."

With another flick of the wand, the light went out in the room. Another flick, and all the scented candles she had were alight and burning. She smiled at him and he leaned forward and kissed her heatedly. His hands were on her back then slowly crept around to the front until his thumbs were resting on the sides of her breasts. Then, Harry brushed his thumb over her small nipple. He blushed but she cupped his face in her hand and smiled sweetly at him.

"It's ok," she whispered. Carefully, he took her small breast in his warm hand and rubbed it gently, tracing his finger around it. She let out a contented sigh and began to unbutton her jeans. Harry dropped his hands down her stomach and to the waistband of her jeans. She raised herself off the bed so he could pull them off of her. She was wearing white cotton knickers, just as he'd imagined she would be.

"Are you cold?" he asked her rubbing a hand up her arm.

She shook her head. "How could I be? You're here."

He grinned and lay down on the bed next to her. Ginny's fingers danced on his chest , rising up and down as Harry breathed raggedly. Then she slipped her fingers under the elastic of Harry's boxers and drew one side down, revealing his hip bone and then his thigh. She hadn't realised Harry's finger were also at the back of her knickers, pulling them down so her bum was exposed. With an excited yet nervous look into each other's eyes, they gave a tug and both sets of underwear were pulled down. Harry's breath caught in his throat and he knew there was no going back now, even if he had wanted to…not that he did, mind. Ginny pulled off her underwear completely and Harry did the same. Both were lying just centimetres apart, electricity jumping from one to the other.

"You ready then?" Harry whispered. Ginny nodded and took hold of Harry's hand. Then she rolled onto her back, pulling Harry with her. Harry lay half across her, kissing her forehead, eyes, nose and then mouth. She kissed him back gently, their lips teasing each other and breaking away, then going back for more.

Then Harry, still kissing her, gently pushed her legs apart and positioned himself in between them. "I've heard this hurts the first time," Harry said quietly, eyes loving but anxious.

"I'll try and be gentle then" Ginny said. Harry laughed and slowly pushed himself into her. He stopped when he reached a thin barrier of skin. Ginny was biting her lip.

"You ok?" he asked.

"'Course I am. Go on."

Harry caressed her cheek with his hand, brushed a strand of hair off her forehead then pushed himself all the way in. Ginny let out a gasp and grabbed Harry's arms in her hands. He paused, for a moment, hoping he was doing it right, hoping he hadn't seriously hurt her.

"Go on, Harry. Please, go on," she said, her eyes squeezed tight. Harry leaned in closer to her so their cheeks were touching, bodies pressed against each other and gently pushed into her again. Once more, he pulled out and pushed in. They were both breathing hard but were otherwise silent. Harry wasn't sure how much longer he'd last but didn't want to disappoint Ginny.

"You can go faster if you want," she murmured, her eyes meeting his.

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll tell you if you do."

Harry began to speed up, still going gently but stronger. Ginny let out a small whimper and Harry almost slowed down until he realised it was a whimper of pleasure, not pain. Then she convulsed around him, sending him into a blissful state where he couldn't do anything but quiver and lay against his one true love.

Still joined, Harry leaned in and kissed her ear. "I love you," he whispered. "Always have and always will."

Ginny's response was to kiss him hard, a blazing look in her eyes. She thought her heart would burst with the amount of love it held, but she was lucky and managed to contain it. Harry drew himself out and lay down beside her, snaking his arm behind her shoulders and pulling her close. He kissed her hair and they dozed off into a peaceful sleep.

**Hope this is ok, PLEASE review! i really want to know what you all think. thanks! xxx **


	3. Is love all you need?

**A/N: well can now safely say this is no longer aoneshot. hope you like this chapter. have a bad habit of writing at 1:00 in the morning so, might be a couple spelling mistakes. please review!

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"Harry! Ron! Ginny!"

Mrs Weasley's shout woke Harry with a start. Bright sunlight filled the small bedroom. Harry wondered for a moment where he was, but as he looked down, he got a face full of red hair. Ginny too had woken up. Despite the urgency in Mrs Weasley's voice, Harry felt his worries fade away as he gazed into Ginny's big brown eyes. They smiled at each other but felt no need for words.

"Hurry downstairs! All of you!"

The anxiety in Mrs Weasley's voice was now impossible to ignore. Harry swung his legs off of the bed and began the search for his clothes. Two sets of footsteps banged down the stairs outside Ginny's door.

"What do you think is wrong?" Ginny asked.

Harry shrugged, pulling on his t-shirt. "Hopefully nothing too serious. Maybe some of the Deatheaters escaped." Checking to make sure Ginny was fully dressed, Harry flung open the door and the two of them hurried down the stairs.

The whole Weasley family plus others were gathered in the kitchen. They were muttering quietly. Kingsley Shacklebolt stood next to the doorway, looking tense and worried. Mr Weasley was home too, which was odd as he would normally be at the Ministry by now.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked, pulling her long, tangled hair into a ponytail.

There was silence as everyone turned to gaze at Mr Weasley. "Some Deatheaters escaped last night. They um…they killed Scrimgeour… and the Ministry's been destroyed."

No one spoke as his words sunk in.

"What's going to happen?" Hermione finally asked, slipping into one of the kitchen chairs, her face white and shocked.

"We thought it was all over last night," Mr Weasley said, running a hand over his thinning hair. "But this war hasn't nearly finished. The Deatheaters have lost a leader, which makes them unpredictable; and they're all scared, which will make them act irrationally. The ministry needs as much help as possible. The aurors," Mr Weasley paused. "Well, as you know a lot of people died in the final battle last night. Scrimgeour, before he died, was trying to regroup, reorganize and recruit new members to help win this war."

"Can we help, dad? I mean I know we're young, but we've had experience. And if they're desperate…" Ron trailed off, resting a hand on Hermione's shoulder to stop her shaking.

"No!" Mrs Weasley began, but Mr Weasley shook his head at her.

"We need all the help we can get Molly, dear." He said sadly. At this, Mrs Weasley burst out into noisy sobs, collapsing onto a sympathetic Lupin.

"Who's the new minister, dad?" Ginny asked, gazing at her father, her eyes showing no fear, but Harry knew better. He took one of her trembling hands in his and squeezed it comfortingly.

"Well the senior undersecretary to the minister has taken that position for now. A new minister will be found in the next week."

Lupin had gone white. He looked both shocked and angry. "Dolores Umbridge? Arthur, no."

Harry took a step forward, opening his mouth to protest but Mr Weasley raised his hand to quieten the room. "The ministry is in disarray. There _is_ no ministry anymore. It's gone, destroyed. We have nowhere to meet, we're far from being organized and another attack is inevitable. At least we have a leader."

"_Ron_ would be a better minister than that old cow!" Ginny exclaimed, two spots of anger burning on her cheeks.

"_Hey_…" Ron began but the noise in the crowded kitchen drowned him out.

"Quiet! Everyone, quiet!" Shacklebolt boomed over the din. "We need as much help as we can get. Harry, Ron, can you help us?"

Harry and Ron both nodded their heads, faces set and eyes determined.

"Hey what about us?" Ginny protested indicating herself and Hermione.

"Everyone who can help is welcome," Shacklebolt said as Mrs Weasley sobbed louder into Lupin's shoulder. "We lost many great witches and wizards last night."

Harry felt his eyes burn as he remembered Luna and Neville's bodies being taken away. He knew now that his plans to return to Hogwarts with Ginny for his last year were out the window. They weren't realistic anyway. This war wouldn't end until every last Deatheater was captured or dead. And how was he supposed to find Severus Snape if he was being a good boy at school? No. He'd join up and help. He'd do what was needed. Not for the ministry but to assure his future with Ginny; to guarantee that he, and the whole wizarding community, could live without the fear of leaving their house or sending their children to school. He wanted the war to end and he'd fight for peace.

"Well," said Mr Weasley, sighing and standing up. "I've got to get back to what's left of the Ministry. There will be a large meeting tonight in one of the conference halls in Gringotts. It's for everyone who wants to sign up and help. I'll see all of you later. Shacklebolt, Tonks? Are you coming?"

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Mrs Weasley wouldn't let any of them leave the house that day. Harry and Ginny finally retreated to her bedroom after hours of discussion with Hermione, Ron and Lupin. Fred, George, Charlie and Bill had all arrived around noon, and the same discussions were started up again. Which Deatheaters were still at large; what if Voldemort wasn't completely dead; how long until peace finally returned to their world.

Harry was grateful to leave the endless conversation and to just sit quietly with Ginny. They were curled up together in the armchair in her room, not speaking but just enjoying each other's company when there was a knock on the door. They sprang apart as Ron barged in, followed by Hermione. Ron's eyes flicked from one to the other but he didn't say anything, just sat on the bed.

"What is it?" Harry asked, half-annoyed that he couldn't spend this time alone with Ginny.

"You want to find Snape don't you?" Hermione asked quietly.

Harry paused, wondering why she was asking him this. "Yea…" he began.

"Well, maybe the best way to do that isn't by joining up with the Ministry."

Harry frowned at her, wondering what she was saying. But then it all clicked. "You're trying to protect me aren't you?" Neither Hermione nor Ron met his eyes. "I'm not going to back away from this. It's something I have to do!"

"Harry, mate, listen…it's just there are a lot of pissed off Deatheaters out there. And well, they're all pissed off at _you_ mate. So maybe if you didn't…" Ron trailed off, shrinking back under Harry's glare.

"You said you wanted to go back to Hogwarts for your final year. You can still do that," Hermione suggested weakly.

"Were you in on this?" Harry asked Ginny, his voice coming out slightly more forcefully than he would have liked. Ginny shook her head but didn't meet his eyes. "Great! Just great!" He grabbed a towel from the back of the chair and yanked the door open.

"Harry where are you going?" Hermione asked, her voice pleading.

"I'm going to have a shower. If that's ok by you, I mean!" Harry said, slamming the door shut behind him.

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**i can just feel a love scene in the shower coming on. lol... right well, i know this was different than the last two chapters but it's going to have more HarryGinny so don't worry. Please Review! xxx**


	4. Soap and Suds

Hot water pounded onto Harry's chest and face. He let it stream into his mouth and over his tightly closed eyes. There was a soft knocking on the door but he ignored it. He needed time to calm down and he was still angry.

"Harry it's me," Ginny's voice called softly though the door. "Let me in."

Harry didn't say anything, just ignored her. Picking up the bottle of shampoo, he turned so the hot water soaked his scruffy black hair. He didn't notice the lock click, or a small figure slip through the door. In fact, he got the shock of his life when he turned his face towards the hot water and saw Ginny standing by the side of the tub. He yelped and threw the bottle of shampoo in the air. Try as she might, Ginny couldn't keep a straight face. She grinned and Harry reluctantly grinned back at her.

"Did you – er – want something?" he asked, rubbing his nose awkwardly.

"Hurry up, I need to shower too." She turned to leave, but Harry reached out and took her arm.

"Do you believe in me, Ginny?"

Ginny faced him, her mouth falling open slightly. He was so vulnerable standing there, water dripping down his face as he squinted his eyes. He had grabbed the shower curtain and was half hiding himself behind it, but his chest and arms were still revealed, sinewy and soapy. Slowly, she pulled off her thin cotton sweater.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, wiping his eyes free of water but forgetting he was covered in soap. "Oooww! My eyes!"

Ginny grinned and took off her remaining clothes. She grabbed a washcloth off of the sink and stepped in the shower. Harry had dropped the shower curtain and was rubbing his eyes. "Stop, you're just making it worse."

Wetting the cloth, she wiped Harry's face free of suds. The whites of his eyes were a bit pink but it only made the green even greener.

"I believe you can do anything Harry. You're a great wizard, and an even greater person, and I love you."

There was another bang on the door. "Harry? You in there, love?"

Harry and Ginny stared at each other, eyes shocked.

"Umm, yea," Harry called back, his voice cracking. Ginny put her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"You got everything you need?"

"Yes, thanks Mrs Weasley," Harry said, trying to ignore Ginny's snorts of laughter.

"All right. Well if you need anything just give a yell. Oh, and you haven't seen Ginny have you?"

"Oh mum, go away! He's trying to have a shower!" Ginny called across the bathroom to Harry's horror.

"Ginny, no," Harry moaned, running his hands through his wet hair and slumping against the tiled wall.

"They'll all find out eventually," Ginny commented, pouring shampoo into her hand and rubbing it through her long red hair. Harry sighed, knowing there was nothing he could do now. Mrs Weasley knew, and soon the whole household would know as well. It wasn't that he minded if everyone found out, he just preferred not to be caught in the shower with Mr and Mrs Weasley's youngest child, their only daughter, when they were being so kind to him. "Oh Harry, stop moping," Ginny said, flicking white foam at him.

Harry stepped over to her and took the hair she'd piled on top of her head in his hands. A burning desire to press against her made Harry groan inwardly but he didn't move closer. Instead, he took her hair in his hands and squeezed the white foam over her back, shoulders and chest. She laughed and scooped up two handfuls of foam. "Close your eyes," she whispered. Harry did as he was told, and felt her massaging the shampoo into his own hair.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Mrs Weasley stood still, not sure of what to do. As far as she knew, Harry and Ginny had broken up this time last year, right after Dumbledore's death. Suddenly feeling ashamed of herself, Mrs Weasley hurried down the stairs. She didn't want to spy on her children. Ginny had turned 17 in May. She was old enough to make her own choices. Quietly, Mrs Weasley chuckled as she went into the kitchen. Poor Harry. She actually felt a bit sorry for him, as she remembered his voice cracking as he'd yelled through the door. No, she'd just act as though nothing had happened.

Harry was sitting on the closed toilet seat, a towel wrapped around his waist ten minutes later, watching Ginny brush her teeth. She too had a pink towel wrapped loosely around her hips. Harry smiled to himself, looking down at his knees so she wouldn't see.

"What are you grinning about?" asked Ginny through a mouthful of toothpaste. Harry stood and walked over to her. He kissed her on the forehead and pulled his shirt over his wet head. "You're not still angry are you?" Ginny asked after spitting out her mouthful of toothpaste.

"Not at you," Harry said.

"Don't be angry with the other two. They were just trying to help." She paused as Harry frowned. "They're your friends, they just..."

"Just what?" Harry asked, feeling his skin fizz in annoyance.

"Oh stop it, Harry," Ginny said, picking up her clothes from the floor and covering herself up. Then she left the bathroom, closing the door with a snap.

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**Sorry for the short chapter. im writing the next one already. please please REVIEW! xxx**


	5. A little secret

Two goblins held open the doors to Gringotts as Harry and the Weasleys walked up the marble steps outside. Many people were in front and behind them all going to the same place: the largest hall in the Gringotts Bank.

"Gertrude! Sweetheart, look it's Harry Potter!" a wizard behind Harry said loudly. Harry looked down at his feet and kept walking. Knowing he felt embarrassed, Ginny hurried to walk beside him and took his hand in hers. He squeezed it gratefully.

"First door on your left," grunted one of the goblins. "Just follow the crowd."

As Harry entered the Hall, the noise and number of witches and wizards that had turned up, blew him backwards.

"Magical reversal Squad!" yelled a portly, red-faced man sitting behind one table.

"Healers and helpers! Over here, all Hospital helpers over here!"

"Improper Use of Magic Squad here if you want to sign up!"

Harry exchanged a wordless glance with Ron and Hermione. What did he want to join? He just wanted to help, but he wasn't trained in anything. He hadn't even taken the NEWTs.

"Aurors! Dark wizard catchers sign up here!" Harry made his way over to the witch handing out pamphlets on being an auror.

"Do you want to sign up, dear?" she asked, barely glancing at him. Harry looked at Ginny, who looked worried.

"Yes!" Ron said, striding forward and taking a pamphlet. The witch peered up at him.

"Wait a moment, aren't you…" She trailed off, her eyes flicking onto his red hair and freckles, then behind him onto Harry. "Well bless my soul…" Quick as a flash, she'd shoved pamphlets into all of their hands. "Please join. Give our community hope."

Hermione looked around at her three friends. "We haven't had the training."

"You three defeated the Dark Lord! And you," she pointed at Ginny, "You wiped out about seven Deatheaters didn't you?"

Ginny blushed. "I didn't wipe them out. I just handed them over to the Aurors."

"Well we want you. All four of you!"

"What do you guys think?" Harry asked. In reply, Ron stepped forward and wrote his name down on the sign up sheet. Following suit, Harry and Ginny signed their names up too, but Hermione didn't.

"I'm not sure yet," Hermione said awkwardly. "Maybe I'll just have a quick look around first."

"What's going on Hermione?" Harry asked after handing the quill back to the witch.

"Well, it's just…I'm not sure this is what I want to do. That's all."

Harry didn't say anything but he knew there was something Hermione wasn't telling them. Being best friends for seven years meant he knew her better than anyone, except maybe Ron. When Ginny and Ron went off to get some coffee and cakes, Harry took Hermione by the arm and led her out of the hall. He walked quickly due to the many staring people, shouts of recognition, and even applause.

"You should have brought your dad's cloak, Harry," Hermione said quietly as they left.

"I didn't realise there would be so many people," Harry explained, checking to make sure they were alone. "Now," he began in a stern voice, quite unlike his own, "do you want to tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know what you –"

"Oh come on Hermione! You said this morning you wanted to help fight this war!"

Hermione sighed and pulled an envelope out of her robes. "That was until I received this," she said handing him the letter.

Harry took it from her and opened it. Quickly scanning the first few lines he felt his stomach drop:

_Dear Ms. Granger,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Salem's Afterschool of Magical Studies. As you know, our school has turned out some of the greatest wizards of all time, and we are sure you will make an excellent contribution to the well-known status of our school. Term will begin September 8th. All necessary forms are included in the envelope; please send an owl no later than August 1st. We are delighted to have you on board! _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Professors H. Kneane and J. Culliton. _

Without saying a word, Harry handed the letter back to Hermione, who refolded and tucked it back into her robes.

"Well, what do you think?" Hermione asked nervously. "It's one of the best Afterschools in the world. If I go there, I could become Minister for Magic in three years."

"I didn't know you wanted to be Minister for Magic," Harry said softly, running his fingers though his messy hair.

"Well…I don't, but that's not the point. This is a _huge_ opportunity for me."

"It's in America," Harry pointed out.

Hermione nodded her head sympathetically.

Harry sighed then smiled at her. "Well, congratulations. That's got to be a first, huh. Getting in without taking the NEWTs?"

Hermione beamed excitedly. "It _is_ the first time! Oh Harry, I'm so glad you're not angry I didn't tell you I applied." She gave him an excited, bone-crushing hug, which, unfortunately, Ginny happened to see. Giving a pretend disapproving look she told Hermione to get off her man.

"The speech is about to start. What fun, we get to listen to the old toad again," Ginny said, as they made their way back to the conference hall.

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**Please tell me what you think, and what i can do to make this better. I love getting reviews!**


	6. Love or Betrayal?

**Had to reupload this chapter again as i somehow deleted it. oops. enjoy and please review!**

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Ginny drummed her fingers on Harry's leg in a bored manner as they sat waiting for Umbridge's speech to begin. "Stop that," Harry whispered, a playful grin on his face as he took her hand in his.

"I want to go home," Ginny muttered, now tapping her foot on the floor. Wrapping an arm around her, Harry pulled her close and kissed her hair.

"Careful!" Ginny said sharply. "The others don't know yet."

"You didn't mind telling your mum this morning," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well, mum's not going to beat you up is she? Fred and George I'm not so sure about."

Harry sighed in disappointed agreement and withdrew his arm. All of a sudden, the huge hall became quiet as a short stout woman marched up to the podium. Harry felt a great surge of dislike course through his body as the toad-like woman cleared her throat unnecessarily.

"Hem, hem. If I may have your attention," she simpered. "Now as you all know, there was a terrible tragedy at the Ministry of Magic last night. I can't begin to explain how devastated I am."

_Funny, _Harry thought bitterly. _She doesn't look the slightest bit disappointed._ He tuned out most of Umbridge's speech, finding it unnecessarily long and dull. The only time he paid real attention when she commented that she would be running for Minister of Magic, and hoped she had everyone's support.

"No!" Harry exclaimed loudly, dropping Ginny's hand in his shock. But his outburst was drowned out by loud applause.

"No way," Ron muttered.

"She's the only one running," George said, leaning forward.

"No one else wants it," said Fred.

"They're too scared," said George.

"Which means Umbridge will get the job," Harry finished.

Umbridge cleared her throat again. "Hem hem. Well if there are no other nominees…" Umbridge's voice trailed off as she gazed around the room.

But then a chair scraped and someone stood up. Harry looked behind him to see who it was. A girl, about twenty, with long blonde hair and dark blue eyes, whom Harry had never seen before, was on her feet. In a much less annoying manner than Umbridge, she too cleared her throat.

"The wizarding community is scared," the girl began in a melodic voice Harry found very pleasing to listen to. "We need someone to unite our community and bring us hope. We need a hero for Minister." Her long-lashed eyes flicked over the faces in the hall until they came to rest on Harry's. She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in. Then she said, "We need Harry Potter."

Harry sat silently as the hall began to buzz in excited talk. He could feel his face grow hot and his palms began to sweat. He couldn't be Minister. He didn't _want_ to be Minister. _I'm too young,_ Harry thought. _I have no experience in politics_.

The audience had quietened down, waiting for Harry to say something, but his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth and he was pretty sure he couldn't speak. What could he do? Tell them 'no'?

"We need you Harry," the girl said again. She locked eyes with him and he felt his breath shorten. She was so perfect, so wonderful to look at. Could she possibly be real? Harry felt his mind go blissfully blank and free of worries. He stood, without knowing why, and found he had opened his mouth. Without thinking or caring about the future, just wanting to make this girl smile, Harry said, "I'll do it."

Cheers and applause broke out over the whole hall. The blonde girl finally looked away and Harry found himself free to move and think. Looking down, Harry noticed Ginny was pulling on his arm. Her face asked the question for her, and Harry found he didn't have an answer. Lamely he said, "You told me you believed in me."

Ginny rolled her eyes and folded her arms, not looking at him. She knew exactly why Harry had volunteered himself but that wasn't the only thing worrying her. Harry was always going to be in danger since he was 'The Chosen One', 'The Boy who Lived' and 'The Boy who Just Wouldn't Die', or whatever his last title was. But if he became the Minister for Magic he would be in so much more danger. Just look at what had happened to the last one! It was down to a choice between an incompetent narcissistic woman, and the man she loved. No, someone else would have to be nominated, and she would see to it that happened.

---

"Percy wait!" Ginny called as the huge crowd hurried out of Gringotts into the warm summer night. Percy turned, saw who was calling his name, and continued to walk away, now with a frown on his face.

Panting, Ginny finally caught up to him and grabbed his arm. "Thanks for waiting," she said, trying to catch her breath.

"What do you want, Ginny?" Percy asked, removing his arm from her grip and pushing his horn-rimmed spectacles further up his long nose. "I don't have much time. I am a very important figure in the Ministry and at this time of trouble, I -"

"Percy I think you should run for Minister," Ginny said, cutting across what would have undoubtedly been a very long speech.

"Excuse me?" Percy asked. Ginny took his arm and pulled him aside so they could talk in private.

"Come on Perce. You've always been ambitious. This is the perfect opportunity. The public likes you a lot more than that Umbridge cow, plus you're so much better qualified than Harry."

"The public loves Harry," Percy sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose again. "He's a war hero."

"So are you!" Ginny said defiantly. "You captured and killed three Deatheaters!" Ginny exclaimed loudly.

"By accident!" Percy hissed looking around to make sure no one could overhear. "You know that!"

"But no one else does," Ginny said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Face it, Perce. If you ran, you'd win."

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**Please review. I want some feedback! First, do you guys want another love scence between Ginny and Harry? and who do you want to become Minister? love u all! xxx**


	7. Finding one's self

**This one's a long one, but totally worth it! in my opinion. wow i sound really arrogant dont i? **

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"You did what?" Harry asked quietly, gazing into his love's deep brown eyes. He didn't feel anger or betrayal or even misery. He didn't feel anything. Confusion had taken over his other emotions, leaving him blank and bewildered.

"I was just so worried about you, Harry," Ginny said, taking a step closer to him.

"I decided to run for Minister of Magic and you told your brother to run _against_ me so I'd lose! Why? Why would you do that?"

"You saw what happened to the last Minister!" Ginny shot at him, her eyes brimming with defiant tears.

Harry sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. He wasn't even sure he wanted to be Minister. He had so many ideas, so many plans, for building a new, improved Ministry. A part of him, the arrogant part that hid most of the time, wanted to be the hero-of-war-Minister: the man who defeated the most evil wizard of all time, then rebuilt the Ministry and its framework and began a new time for all of wizarding kind; a time of prosperity and richness.

Realistically, Harry knew it was a _lot_ of work. Something that would take a lifetime of dedication, and he didn't feel any specific loyalty or devotion towards the ministry. He sighed again and sat down on Ginny's bed. Mrs Weasley had insisted he stay at the Burrow while things were so hectic in the Wizarding world. And anyway, Harry didn't feel much like going back to an empty apartment.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Ginny whispered, sitting down beside him. "I should have stood by you, no matter what you chose.

Harry wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. After kissing her on the side of her forehead, he rested his head gently against hers. "I've spent my whole life searching for him, Gin. And now it's over." He got up and walked over to the window, thrusting his hands deep into his pockets. What was he supposed to do now? "I mean, I didn't even kill him, Gin," he whispered. Ginny didn't say anything. She was itching with curiosity but it sounded as though he was talking to himself not her, and she didn't want to interrupt. "I feel lost…I - I don't even know who I am anymore." H rested his forehead against the cool glass and let the burning tears trickle down his face as he remembered the events of last night…

"_You've irked me for too long Harry Potter," came the cold, high-pitched voice. The voice came from a man who no longer resembled a man. His face was a mask, with waxy white skin pulled tight over his high cheekbones and flat snake-like nose. His eyes were flaming red, windows to his twisted, shrivelled soul that felt no more. A battle between the Order and the ministry against the Deatheaters raged around them, but they didn't notice. Both sides had strict instructions to leave them alone to do what they needed to. Harry knew this was his last chance. One would die tonight, he was to become murdered or murderer. _

Harry barely realised he was speaking out loud. Ginny saw the tears drip off of his face and land on the windowsill. She wiped her own tears away, intent on his story, needing to know what had happened to him. She needed to know because she needed to help him. Seeing him in pain was more than she could bear.

"_No one's left to save you now Harry. And you forget, I can't die." _

_Harry didn't correct him. He wiped the blood off of his mouth and chin and stood, his very bones shaking; the crucio curse had been lifted just moments ago and Harry had bit his lip to prevent himself from screaming. _

"_You _will_ die tonight Harry."_

_Again Harry didn't speak, he just rose his wand, ready to die fighting._

"_Avada Kedavra!" screamed Voldemort before Harry had a chance to react. But the curse didn't hit him. Instead, it hit the person who had just pushed Harry to the ground and taken the spell for him. _

"_No!" Harry cried as Neville's body fell, mere feet away. Harry rose, and pointed his wand at Voldemort with a surprisingly steady hand. "You're going to pay for the lives you took, Tom Riddle."_

_Voldemort laughed, and bared his teeth at Harry. They glinted menacingly in the moonlight. "I don't think so Harry." With a flick of his wand, Harry set a jet of blindingly-bright golden light at Voldemort but he deflected it and sent another jet of green light back. Harry was too slow to react. The green light hit him in the chest, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying backwards. _

_But for the second time in his life, Harry had survived. He wasn't dead he knew it. He could feel the soft grass under his face, the cool breeze rustling his hair. He allowed him self no more than a split second to recover, before scrambling to his feet. But Voldemort was gone. A set of robes and a wand lay on the ground. Black ash began to swirl in the wind, being lifted into the air and carried away. Cries of pain from all the Deatheaters reverberated around the graveyard as they fell to the ground, clutching their left forearms, screaming in agony._

Harry touched the cut on his forehead, which had reopened his old scar. Ginny came to stand beside him; she touched his arm gently and he looked up, hastily brushing away tears. "It's over Harry," she whispered, stroking his face lovingly.

Harry shook his head. "I should have killed him. Neville shouldn't have died if I had the courage to say the spell and kill him. I'm a coward Ginny."

For several long moments, she didn't say anything. Finally she spoke, "Do you think it was coincidence that Neville saved your life?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"The prophecy. What if Voldemort did choose the wrong boy?"

Harry didn't say anything, not sure what _to_ say. Did she think he was a coward too? Voldemort had made the same mistake twice, but this time he died. Harry played no part. In the end, Voldemort had killed himself.

"Neither can live while the other survives," Harry whispered. He tried to think but his braind felt foggy. _Neither can live…_ Harry made himself think, he had too, this was too important. "It never said," Harry said quietly, feeling close to something. "It never said one of us had to kill the other. Just that we _couldn't_ survive."

"And he ended up killing himself." Ginny smiled at him, and brushed away her own tears. "You are so brave, Harry. I've never met anyone like you."

Harry didn't say anything to her. He still felt like a coward; he felt that Neville shouldn't have had to die. Taking Ginny's hand in his, he smiled sadly at her. "I still feel I don't know who I am."

She smiled at him, making his stomach twist and churn. Desire spread through his body where sorrow and regret had been just moments ago. "I'll help you find out," She whispered, her mouth just inches away from his own. Placing a finger under her chin, he lifted her head, and grazed her perfectly curved lips with his own.

"I know you will," he murmured. "After all," he stopped speaking to kiss her again. "I'm your second half."

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**love scene coming up of course! hehe.review review review if you want me to keep going! xoxo**


	8. A shocking surprise

Harry kissed his way heatedly down Ginny's neck. He felt that if he loved her enough maybe, just maybe, all the terrible things he'd done over the past few days would just disappear. But as he pulled her closer, Ginny pushed back, a hand over her mouth.

"Ginny, are you ok?" Harry asked, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. She retched slightly, shot him a panicked expression and ran out of the room.

---

"Oh don't jump to conclusions, Arthur," Mrs Weasley said, trying to make herself comfortable. She fluffed up her pillows and drew the knitted blanket up around her chin.

"Don't jump to…Molly! The door was locked, the shower was on, Ginny and Harry were both in there, what do you expect me to think?" Mr Weasley threw the covers off of him and swung his legs down onto the floor. "I'm going to have a word with Harry," Mr Weasley fumed, tying his dressing gown tight around him.

"Oh Arthur don't be ridiculous, Ginny's old enough to decide what she wants."

"And we _both _know what Harry wants, what _any_ teenage boy wants."

"You're forgetting who we're talking about, Arthur. This is _Harry_. Now just calm down and come back to bed."

However, Mr Weasley didn't calm down. Shooting his wife a stern look, he pulled open the door and left their bedroom in a huff.

---

Ginny was bent over the bathroom sink, coughing into her hand. Her body convulsed and she doubled over, retching and coughing hard. Pulling her hand away, she saw a pool of dark red blood in her hand. Harry was knocking on the door, but she didn't unlock it. She didn't want him to worry.

"Harry I'm fine, go away."

"Ginny love? It's Dad, let me in."

Ginny quickly washed her hand off, wiped the tears from her face and opened the door. Mr Weasley stood in the doorway looking extremely worried. "What's wrong love?" He could see she had been sick, and stepped forward to help her.

"Daddy," Ginny whispered, before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed into her father's arms.

Mr and Mrs Weasley sat in the corridor of St Mungos, outside Ginny's room. It was two o'clock in the morning, and Mrs Weasley had told the others to stay home when the Mediwizards arrived at the Burrow to pick Ginny up. After what seemed like an age, the head Healer, Mr Albert Fitzgerald stepped out of the room, a grim expression on his face.

"If you'd like to come in now, Mr and Mrs Weasley," he said, holding the door open for them. Exchanging scared glances, they rose from their seats and went into the dimly lit room. Ginny was asleep on the bed, magical instruments monitoring her heart rate and breathing.

"Will she be ok, Healer Fitzgerald?" Mrs Weasley asked, squeezing her husband's hand very hard.

Fitzgerald looked extremely sombre and told them to sit down. They did so, eyes wide, waiting to hear the worst news.

"We're going to have to do some more tests, but she was still coughing up rather a lot of blood before she fell asleep. I'm not going to lie: we're quite worried. We think she may have pneumonia or even tuberculosis." He handed Mrs Weasley a clean handkerchief to wipe her streaming eyes. "Those we can cure, if we've caught it in time. However, there is a muggle disease, rarely reported in wizards, but it is possible…"

"What is it?" choked out Mr Weasley.

Fitzgerald paused and looked from one to the other. Then he sighed and said, "It's a possibility that she has somehow contracted lung cancer."

---

When they arrived home, Mr and Mrs Weasley were met by the whole Weasley family, Hermione and Harry, all waiting in the living room, looking extremely worried. George and Fred jumped up to take there cloaks and hats.

"Well?" Bill asked, squeezing the very pregnant Fleur's hand. "What's wrong? Will she be ok?"

Mr Weasley looked around at all the anxious faces and slowly shrugged his shoulders. "They don't know yet what's wrong. They're going to do some more tests and find out."

"I want to go and see her," Ron said, getting up from the couch.

"It's three o'clock in the morning, Ron!" Mrs Weasley said, rubbing her tear-streaked face. "We can all go back down in the morning." Ron looked at his mother and knew there was something they weren't telling: he hadn't seen them so upset since Bill had been mauled last year.

An hour later, Harry, Ron and Hermione were still sitting around the fire in the living room. The sky had turned grey and dawn was coming.

"I'm sure she's fine, Harry," Hermione whispered, trying not to wake Ron who had just dozed off, his head resting on her shoulder. Harry just shrugged so she said, "If she was really sick, they would have said something."

"Oh come on Hermione! You saw their faces! Something's terribly wrong."

Hermione didn't say anything for a while, just gazed into the dying embers of the fireplace. "Harry, if she's really sick, I won't go to America. I'll stay here."

"Why are you going to America?" Ron asked. Clearly he hadn't been as asleep as they both thought. Harry got up and went outside, leaving them to talk. He needed some fresh air. Well, what he really needed was to see Ginny, to make sure she was ok. Making up his mind, he stuck his head through the open window.

"I'm off to St Mungos," he told Hermione and Ron, who seemed to be having a heated discussion. "I'll see you later." They didn't argue with him, so he walked off to a safe distance and disapparated with a pop.

---

Ginny was fast asleep when Harry arrived. The welcoming witch had been reluctant to let Harry see her, as she was in the 'critical condition' ward, but he managed to convince her with an autograph and a reluctant photo together. The sun had just risen when Ginny's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was Harry, sitting by her bed and reading a very old Witch Weekly.

"Hey you," she whispered. He looked up and smiled at her, tucking a lock of flaming red hair behind her ear.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I feel perfectly fine, I wish they'd let me go." She took his hand in hers. "I didn't want to be away from you last night."

Harry laughed. "Ah, we can make up for that, my love. So this isn't going to be a recurring thing is it?" he asked, a joking expression covering up his worry. "I kiss you and you throw up? Because I might just have to find myself a new girl if that carries on."

Ginny laughed, but it turned into a cough. She tried to hide the blood in her left hand but Harry saw and the goofy grin slipped off his face. "I'm ok, Harry," she whispered, trying to stop the tears from coming. She hated seeing him so worried. "I just feel a bit nauseous and my chest hurts, that's all."

Harry nodded, and took her right hand in his. Massaging her fingers gently, he said, "We'll get through whatever this is together, ok? Even if you do throw up each time you look at me."

Ginny chuckled. "Stop making me laugh Harry, it hurts."

Just as Harry was apologising, the door opened and Healer Fitzgerald came in. "Bit early for visiting hours isn't it?" He froze when he saw the reopened gash oh Harry's forehead though. "Well call me a hippogriff and serve me up for lunch, you must be Harry Potter."

Harry let go of Ginny's hand and shook Fitzgerald's, trying to smile but unable to.

"I have some questions for Miss Weasley, if you wouldn't mind leaving, Mr Potter."

Harry began to rise from his chair but Ginny pulled him back down. "I'd rather he stayed, if that's ok."

Healer Fitzgerald just shrugged and conjured up another chair. "Alright then. Now your mother told me last night that you had the flu last week, is that correct?"

"I had a fever and a bit of a cough," said Ginny, shooting Harry a sideways glance. He patted her arm and smiled. To her surprise, Fitzgerald smiled as well. He quickly wrote something down on a piece of parchment then laid his quill down.

"You were coughing a lot?" he asked. Ginny shrugged and nodded. Standing up, Fitzgerald rummaged through his pockets and took out a funny looking metal instrument. He held it to Ginny's chest and told her to take deep breaths. "Ah ha," he said, putting the metal instrument back in his pocket. "I should have checked earlier, but with the fainting and nausea…anyway, no matter now."

"What's wrong Healer?" Harry asked.

"Miss Weasley, you've ruptured a blood vessel in your right lung which accounts for the accumulation of blood in the said lung. It may also have caused the fainting last night. It can be easily fixed, so don't worry about that."

Ginny let out a relieved sigh. "That's all? You said I might have cancer! What about the vomiting and nausea?"

Fitzgerald bit his lip and sat back down. "Well, I haven't run any tests for this yet, but…is there any possibility that you could be pregnant?"

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**Ok so maybe this is a bit cliche but it's the only thing i could think of to get the story to go where i want it to. any advice for an upcoming HG scene would be great as i'm a bit stuck there. thanks for reading and please please please review! Thanks to Jennifer Duesbee for her reviews and to everyone else as well!**


	9. Tears and realisation

**AN: ok before you read this, i'd just like to point out that i've been a bit of a cow and yea, ok so u'r not going to find out much about Ginny in this chap, but i PROMISE you will find out aboutthe possible pregnancyin the next chapter and there will DEFINATLEY be some more HarryGinny there too, coz we all love that dont we? So please, feel free to scream at me, i deserve it. hehe**

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Neither Ginny nor Harry spoke as Fitzgerald's words rang around the room. Awkwardly clearing his throat, Fitzgerald said, "Well – er – I'll leave you two alone. You'll be transferred to a different ward now you're no longer in critical condition, Miss Weasley. However, it's best if you don't leave yet; we still have a few tests to do." He looked uncomfortably from one to the other, got up and left the room with an embarrassed nod to them both.

After a few moments of silence where Ginny picked at a hangnail and Harry chewed his tongue, Harry finally spoke. "We really messed up there didn't we?"

Letting out a nervous laugh, Ginny nodded her head. "Wonder what Mum'll say…"

"I'm more worried about your dad!" Harry said, standing and walking over to the window.

"Are you angry?" Ginny asked quietly, twisting her hands together in her lap and not daring to look at him. Suddenly two fingers were under her chin, lifting her head up. Harry's face was inches away from her own and he was smiling at her.

"Are you angry at me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. She shook her head. "Then why would I be angry at you?"

Letting the hot tears trickle out of her eyes and down her cheeks, Ginny buried her face into Harry's warm shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, whispering softly into her ear.

"Gin, believe it or not, I'm actually happy," Harry said, stroking her hair. She pulled away slightly and looked up at him, a peculiar, questioning look on her face. "It could have been something so much worse," he said simply.

"Guess I'm keeping with the family tradition anyway. Mum had Bill when she was only 18." She wiped the tears off her face and chuckled. "They weren't even married yet."

Just then the door burst open and the entire Weasley family, plus Hermione, came striding in, carrying presents and balloons. Quickly letting go of Ginny, Harry stood up, running a hand through his hair. He'd noticed Mr and Mrs Weasley's eyes flick between the two of them, and unlike Mrs Weasley who beamed and clapped her hands together, Mr Weasley frowned and chewed the side of his mouth.

"We just met that Healer, and he said you were being moved out of this ward," Charlie said, handing Ginny a brightly wrapped present and kissing her cheek in greeting.

"Although if you ask me, a ruptured blood vessel in your lung sounds pretty critical," Bill said, one arm draped around Fleur's shoulders.

"So he told you about that," Ginny said. "He didn't – erm – mention anything else did he?"

"Nope," Mrs Weasley said, bustling over and unnecessarily fluffing Ginny's pillows. "But he did say he'd be running a few more tests."

As the noise level in the room increased by about 10 decibels, Harry leaned in close to Ginny and whispered, "I'll be back in a sec, ok?" She nodded and smiled up at him. Looking around the room, Harry headed towards the door, grabbing Hermione's arm as he went and pulling the girl out with him.

"What happened?" he asked her. Hermione glared up at him through red-rimmed eyes then let out a sob. Stumbling backwards a few paces, Harry caught her as she collapsed into his arms and patted her bushy head awkwardly. "Come on Hermione, what did he do?" Harry asked softly.

"He g-got really, r-really angry!" she wailed into his chest.

"Where is he?"

Hermione shrugged and pulled away from him slightly. "I don't understand." Leading her over to an uncomfortable plastic chair, Harry sat her down and kneeled by her.

"Well you're not staying in America forever are you? I mean, you're going to come back. I don't understand what the problem is," Harry said, patting her arm sympathetically.

Hermione stopped sobbing and wiped her streaming eyes. "I told him I thought we should…take a break for awhile."

Harry rocked back on his heels, and watched his friend with a shrewd expression. "Wait let me get this straight: you don't want to be with him so you broke it off. Why are _you_ crying?" When she didn't answer he laughed quietly and shook his head. "I don't understand girls."

Hermione scooted over so Harry could sit by her and they both sighed in unison.

"So, you want to hear something to put your problem in perspective?" Harry asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She nodded. "Ginny might be pregnant."

Hermione drew away and gaped at him, her eyebrows almost disappearing above her bushy hairline. "Are you serious?" Harry nodded. "By _who_?" Harry gave her a filthy look and shoved her off the chair.

"By you?"

"Who bloody else?" Harry asked standing and running a hand through his untidy hair.

"My goodness," Hermione scolded, picking herself up in a dignified manner and sitting back down on the chair. "You've been back together for…what, two days? Ron and I have been together for almost a year, and _we_ haven't even slept together yet."

"That would fall under the category of 'too much information', Hermione," Harry said dryly, slouching against the wall. Then, as curiosity got the better of him, he asked, "Seriously, you two haven't slept together?"

"Not yet. I mean we've done stuff. Quite a lot of stuff, I mean," she giggled, "there was this one time when he –"

"Hermione!" Harry broke in, cutting her off. "Too much information!"

"Right, sorry," she said blushing. "Back to the point. So what are you two going to do?"

Harry shrugged and gazed at the stark white wall. What if she was pregnant? Then she wouldn't be able to go back to Hogwarts. Harry knew Ginny too well and there was no way she'd leave the baby for her parents too look after. She was too independent, too headstrong. No, she'd do it all herself if she had to.

_But she won't_, Harry thought. _She'll have me. I'll always be there_. And for the first time, Harry started to think about the future. The death of Voldemort didn't mark the end of Harry's life after all. He had a future, people to care for. Ginny would be there, he was sure of that. Perhaps children, maybe two. He'd quite like two, or even three. And a steady job, something he enjoyed doing. Not Minister for Magic, that wasn't his dream job, that wasn't what he wanted to do.

A door swung open, interrupting Harry's daydream and the Weasley clan strode out, talking and laughing jovially.

"We're off to the tearoom," Mrs Weasley announced. "Fleur's getting a bit peckish and we could all do with some sugar."

"We'll be up in a minute, Molly," Hermione said. After they were out of hearing distance, Hermione shot Harry a meaningful look and got up. "Go talk to her, Harry."

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**Please please review**, it makes me feel wanted. oh and also, 50 housepoints to whoever spots the slight inconsistency between chapters 5 and 7.anyway, next chap will be up soon i promise.xxx 


	10. Breathtaking

**A/N: write the first half late last night so bare with it. Bare? spelt right? haha, HarryGinny scene yay. **

**Good quote:** "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away"

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"So you're not?"

Ginny shook her head, studying Harry's face, trying to detect what he was feeling.

"Well that's…"

"Yea," Ginny said, pulling the covers up under her arms. Harry let out a deep breath and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment's pause. Snuggling closer to him, she felt her eyes begin to burn.

"It's stupid," she muttered. "To be upset about losing something I never had."

Harry shook his head and kissed her hair. "No it's not. I know exactly how you feel."

It was then that Ginny realised that if anyone knew what she was going through it would be Harry. If she had been pregnant then it would have been his baby too, so he must be feeling the same loss she did. But then again, she'd never had the baby, so technically she hadn't lost anything.

"Let's go home," she said, swinging her legs out of the bed, and reaching for the pile of neatly folded clothes.

"How's your lung feeling?" asked Harry as he helped her unlace the hospital nightgown.

She smiled. "Well, I can't feel it. So I'm guessing that's a good thing… unless they secretly removed the whole lung and it's now on sale in a black market somewhere."

"Dad, listen, I'm not a little girl anymore. I mean, there's got to be someone eventually, unless you want me to become an old spinster," Ginny reasoned, sitting on the sofa by her father. He looked very tired, and ran a hand over his face.

"Ginny, I look at you and I still see my baby girl. You see, my darling, if I admit that you've grown up, then I have to admit I'm getting old."

"You're not old, Daddy." She grinned playfully at him. "You're _ancient_."

Mr Weasley let out a laugh and tugged one of her plaits. "Well," he said, stretching and grunting. "I suppose if it's got to be someone, I'm glad it's Harry."

Letting out a high-pitched squeal, Ginny kissed her father on the cheek and ran off, in search of the subject of their conversation. With her father's permission, she felt even happier about her new relationship. Of course, she hadn't told him about the pregnancy scare, no use giving him an unnecessary heart attack.

Ginny finally found Harry in the far end of the back garden, sitting on a bench by the pond, reading a piece of paper with a furrowed brow. Ginny managed to come within five feet of him before he looked up.

"What's that?" she asked, sitting down by him and kicking her shoes off, dipping her feet in the cool water.

"A speech. Hermione wrote it for me."

Ginny's silence made Harry look up at her and take her hand.

"I know you don't want me to do this."

"No, I don't", admitted Ginny, kicking water into the air. "But you have to do what you want, I shouldn't stand in the way of that."

Scanning the parchment once more, Harry scrunched it up into a ball and tucked it in his pocket. "To be honest, I don't want to be Minister."

Looking up, Ginny's dark brown eyes locked with his startling green ones. She felt herself being pulled into them, lost in his soul. So many emotions were there: a great sadness, fear, hope, and above all, love. Before she knew it, her arms were around his neck, lips pressed against his. They stayed like that for a long time until the sun slipped over the horizon and goose bumps rose on their sun-kissed arms.

"What do you say we go back up to the house?" whispered Harry as the wind began to pick up, ruffling their hair and whipping their clothes.

"Definitely," Ginny said, picking up her shoes and racing Harry to the back door.

The rain started to pour down before they were even halfway across the garden. Laughing and slipping in the mud, the young couple sprinted for the backdoor, but before Ginny could pull it open, Harry had grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her fiercely as the rain dripped into their eyes and soaked their hair and clothes. Then Ginny laughed and pushed Harry away so he slipped and fell into a mud puddle. Gasping, she held out a hand to help him up, but with a wicked gleam in his eyes, Harry took her outstretched hand and pulled her down on top of him so they were both covered in sticky brown mud and soaked in water.

"Come on," she said, speaking loudly to make her voice heard over the thunder. "Let's go up to my room." Harry stood up, pulled Ginny up with him and let himself in to the warm, dry kitchen, shivering and laughing.

Mrs Weasley was in there, boiling some water over the fire. She looked up as they come in and clucked disapprovingly. "You'll catch a death of a cold, both of you. Go upstairs and take off those wet clothes right away. I'll run a bath for you."

"Mum, we can run our own bath," Ginny said, taking Harry's hand and pulling him out of the kitchen and up the creaky staircase. He smiled apologetically at Mrs Weasley, who just shook her head reproachfully and returned her attention to the boiling water.

"Bed first or bath first?" Ginny asked, once they reached the second landing. Looking at their mud splattered clothes and skin, Harry decided that a bath was definitely in order.

"But only if you're in it too," he whispered. Shivering agreeably, Ginny led Harry up to the bathroom. Luckily, no one was in there, so they went in, locking the door behind them. Harry sat on the edge of the bathtub, running his hand in the hot water, while watching Ginny brush her sopping wet hair.

She had stripped of her shirt and jeans, and stood in front of the sink in her underwear. Smiling to himself, Harry pulled off his own shirt, jeans and boxers, and tentatively stepped into the steaming water.

Yelping as the water burned his cold toes, he lowered his body in and moaned contentedly. With a small smirk on his face, he watched Ginny as she slowly took off her bra then slipped off her knickers. Then she too cautiously dipped her foot into the water and got in, raising the water level so it slopped over the side of the bath and onto the wooden floor.

Watching her sponge herself, Harry felt to urge to hold her close and never let her go. He wanted to be one with her, he felt, and it seemed silly to him, but he felt that if he tried to love her any more than he did right now, his heart would actually burst.

Flicking bubbles at him, Ginny snapped Harry out of his pleasant daydream and chucked him the sponge. He quickly sloshed the soapy water over his body, wanting to get out quickly and take her down to her bedroom, then curl up with her and show her how he felt. Reading his mind, Ginny splashed some water over herself then stepped out of the tub, wrapping a large fluffy pink towel around her shoulders. Scraping the last bit of mud off of him, Harry too got out and took one of the pink towels.

"That color looks good on you," Ginny laughed, towelling her hair quickly. "I'll go out first, ok? Come up quickly though."

Harry nodded and continued drying himself as she slipped out of the bathroom.

Slowly, Harry pushed open Ginny's bedroom door, and with a quick glance around, slipped inside, locking it behind him. Scanning the room, he noticed Ginny sitting in the window seat, her knees pulled up to her chest, her head resting against the wall and her eyes closed. She was breathing heavily, and didn't notice when Harry cleared his throat. Rolling his eyes, Harry strode over to the window and tapped her on the shoulder. She didn't wake. Grinning, he leant over and kissed his way down her neck and shoulder. She woke up then, snorting in surprise, then laughed.

"I told you to come up quickly," Ginny said, stretching her legs and standing up, although holding the towel firmly in place under her arms.

"Well, I didn't want to look suspicious," he said, guiding her over to the bed.

"Fifteen minutes was a bit excessive though," Ginny said, flopping down on it and reaching her hand out to him.

Harry looked a bit sheepish, but grinned at her anyway and took her hand. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Did you want to go to sleep?"

Raising her eyebrows, Ginny gave him an exasperated look and pulled him down beside her. She then picked up the wand from her bedside table and waved it so, the candles all went out, and the only light came from the full moon, outside her open window. Gold light glinted off of Harry's sinewy body, and Ginny's damp red hair.

"I love you," Harry murmured, kissing her bare shoulder.

"I love you more," she said. Taking the towel off and throwing it in a bundle on the floor, she sat down on Harry's lap, facing him, and wrapped her legs around his waist. Stroking a strand of wet hair from her eyes, he traced a thumb over her lips and caressed her cheek lovingly.

"It's stopped raining," he said, turning his gaze to the clear night sky outside the window.

"The weather, Harry Potter? You're actually talking to me about the weather?" Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting on the small of her back. Then he pulled her backwards with him, so they're bodies were tightly pressed together, damp skin sticking to one another, their lips locked in a tight kiss. Ginny unwrapped the towel from around his hips and he raised himself off of the bed so she could pull it off, then he kissed her again, his lips softly caressing hers, teasing her, making her whimper and push against him for more.

"You know, I was thinking," Harry said as they paused for breath, "When we're married, we should have three kids."

"Three?" Ginny said, rubbing her nose against his. "I was planning on following family tradition…you don't want seven?"

Harry laughed and kissed the tip of her nose very gently then rolled her over so he lay on top of her, and, muttering a spell under his breath, a soft blanket fluttered down over their bodies. Then, feeling a bit stupid, he said, "Ginny, I don't mean to bug you, but I mean you're…well, there's no chance that you're actually going to get…erm," he cleared his throat. "See after the scare this morning, I thought it would be best to make sure that…" he petered off, feeling awkward.

"I talked to Mum this morning."

"You did what?" Harry asked, pulling back off of her slightly.

"I wanted to make sure that I definitely didn't get pregnant, so I talked to Mum and she gave me a potion." Harry still looked worried so she said, "Mum was fine with it. Come one, Harry, she knows I'm not a little girl any more. We're in love and of age." She paused for a moment, frowning slightly. "You know, what we're doing isn't wrong."

"I know!" he said, quickly, pressing his forehead to hers. "I know my love." He grinned guiltily. "Come on," he said very quietly. "I don't think I can wait much longer."

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**haha, well tell me what you think. Realised that the whole shower/bath thing was a bit repeptitive that's why i kinda rushed it. more about harry becoming minister, and the strange blonde chick next chapter. REVIEW PLEASE! oh and does anyone particularly want me to finish this scene or can i just skip ahead to morning (the lazy way out...)?**


	11. It's in his kiss

**AN:** Omg so sorry this took such a long time to write and upload. Been really busy at the moment. OK well i wrote this wen i was in a bit of a sappy mood so gets very fluffy (another chapter of fluff! i know! sorry!) but hey, im seriously going to try and put in more info nxt chapter, which i am already writing. enjoy!

Disclaimer: still don't own much. JKRowling's and i've included somerandom poems/quotes.

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"Come on," Harry said softly to Ginny. "I don't think I can wait much longer."

They were lying on Ginny's bed; their damp bodies pressed together, heat surging through them.

"I'm ready," Ginny murmured, feeling her blood race as Harry kissed his way down her neck. Then his lips returned to hers and soon she was lost in the kiss; lost in an eternity where time didn't exist; nothing existed except Harry and their never-ending love.

And this time it didn't hurt. It felt so…right. It felt _good_. Before she knew it, Harry was completely inside of her and they broke the kiss. Looking deep into her eyes, Harry asked the silent question. She nodded; she was fine. She was better than fine. Their rocking bodies reminded Ginny of a song, she wasn't sure what song but she knew she loved it. Then, without stopping or pulling out, Harry tucked his arms under her back, lifted her up and slipped under her so she was now on top.

As she leaned forward her long hair fell around her face, enclosing them in raspberry-scented red walls. Feeling as they had been removed from the world, as though only they existed and nothing else did, they reached the brink of excitement simultaneously and tipped over, falling into the rippling, wonderful depths of passion, breathing hard, feeling each other's sweaty bodies and warm breath.

---

Lazily stroking Ginny's arm, Harry felt himself begin to doze off. Ginny's head was tucked under his chin, her arms snaked around him and their legs entwined. For the first time in weeks, months even, Harry felt completely at peace with the world. The knot of tension that had resided in his stomach ever since Dumbledore's death, had finally gone. Ginny stirred in his arms and turned her face up to his.

"You sleeping?" she asked.

"No," Harry said, pulling himself out of the whirlpool of sleep, which had been gently sucking him in. "I'm awake."

"The election speeches are this week," Ginny said simply.

"Mm."

Pausing for a moment, she finally asked, "What are you going to do?"

Harry didn't know what to say: he had to choose between what Ginny wanted and what the rest of the Wizarding community wanted. "I really don't know," he replied honestly.

"Oh well, we'll worry about it when it comes, yeah?"

Just then, Harry sat up, gently easing himself away from Ginny and put his glasses on. Then he picked up the towel on the floor and shook it out. Smiling to himself, Harry picked up a small box that had fallen out from the folds of material. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Ginny and snuggled under the covers against her. Her eyelids were beginning to droop, but she woke up quickly when Harry's body pressed up against hers.

Gently he pressed the small box into her hand. Looking confused, she drew her hand out and above the blankets.

"Wha-" she began but Harry cut her off.

"It was my mum's. My dad gave it to her in their final year at Hogwarts. I meant to give it to you last summer, but it's been in the vault at Gringotts and I forgot."

Frowning in confusion, Ginny pushed her thumbnail into the small gold button and the box sprang open. Inside was lined with white velvet, and on a small cushion sat a silver band, a diamond sparkling majestically on it.

Ginny gasped in awe and disbelief. "Harry…" she murmured.

"Listen, you don't have to promise me anything, alright? It's just a present. See my dad gave it to the girl he loved, his soul mate." He gently caressed Ginny's face and whispered, "And I'm giving it to mine."

"Harry, I – I don't know what to say…I love you, I love you more than I even know how to tell you."

"I know," Harry said simply, kissing her forehead.

"You do?"

"Yea…I feel the same way."

---

"What time is it?" Ginny asked. She was lying backwards on the bed, her feet in Harry's lap, humming to herself.

Harry reached out for the clock on the bedside table, picked it up and squinted at the clock face. "Half past twelve."

Ginny sighed contently. "I could talk to you all night." She lifted her left arm above her head and outstretched her fingers, grinning at the beautiful ring, now sitting snugly on her ring finger.

As Harry put the clock back down on the nightstand, his hand brushed a small, yet bulging, leather-bound book. He picked it up and examined the cover.

"What's this?"

Ginny lifted her head to see what he held, then flopped it back down again. "That's my diary," she said. "You can open it if you want."

"Nah," said Harry, his fingers gently caressing the front cover. Sitting up, Ginny crawled over to him and tucked herself under his arm. She took the book from him and opened it up, pointed to a spot and told him to read. Harry cleared his throat, then read, " 'to see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wildflower, hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour'."

Harry scanned the rest of the page and saw it was filled with poems, thoughts, theories and sketches. "This is your diary?" he asked, now thumbing through the other pages. "I thought diaries were supposed to be a record of the things you did."

"How boring," Ginny said, and took the book from him, looking for a particular page. "Here we go," she cleared her throat and began to read. " '… won the Gryffindor Cup,' bla bla bla, oh here's the good part, 'When he's kissing me he's not doing anything else. Just kissing me. It's like I'm his whole universe…and the moment feels eternal because he doesn't have any plans, he's not going anywhere. Just kissing me and it's completely overwhelming. I lose track of who I am, but never who he is. Because he never leaves my mind. He's always been there, hiding at the back, coming forward and strolling into my daydreams when things get particularly boring. He's always there, and he always will be because I love him, and you just can't fight that'."

"Woh," Harry muttered, taking the book back from her. "That was really…beautiful." He laughed. "And pretty intense."

She blushed. "I get a bit carried away sometimes."

"I love it," he said and tapped the book. "It's like a little window into your mind." He flicked through the pages, stopped, put on a girly voice and pretended to read, "Harry is sooo cute. I just can't get enough of him! I want him, I _need_ him!"

Ginny hit him on the head with a pillow as he laughed at her, placing the book carefully back on her nightstand before grabbing her in his arms and kissing her passionately.

---

Harry woke up the next morning to a flurry of movement beside him. Ginny was scrambling out of bed, swearing under her breath.

"Harry, get up! Quickly."

Harry got out of bed, completely nonplussed. Then he heard loud excited voices from downstairs…a _lot_ of voices.

"Ginny what-?"

"I completely forgot! The whole family's coming down for the elections, and there are lots of them."

"How many?" Harry asked, trying to pull on his jeans and smooth his hair at the same time.

"Well dad's two brothers, plus their kids, one has five and the other has six. Oh and Grandma Peg with the wooden leg, she's a bit deaf, so make sure to speak loudly when you talk to her. Oh and it's best not to call the triplets by names: if you get it wrong they flip out. And watch out for little Matthew, he's just got teeth and likes to use them."

"Are they all staying here?"

"Good God, no!" Ginny replied, with a laugh. "There are sixteen of them, and that's not even the whole family but Uncle Arnie and Uncle Abe couldn't get time off of work, and Dad fell out with Uncle Andrew a couple years ago, so he won't be coming down."

"How many brothers does your dad have?" Harry asked as they left the room and made their way downstairs.

"Oh just four, but they all have at least five kids, so it's a bit hard to keep track."

Harry sighed inwardly. He didn't have a single family member left alive and Ginny had at least fifty. And that wasn't even including her mother's side of the family.

"I mean though," Ginny continued, interrupting Harry's train of thought. "You'd think, out of thirty kids, there would be at least one other girl, but no."

Harry chuckled. "Well I'm glad you're a girl."

"Me too. I don't think this relationship would be going so well if I was Ron's brother."

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Please review!i seriously love getting reviews. (such a little dork lol) anyway nxt chap soon, i promise! xxx 


	12. Family and decisions

"So where is Hermione, anyway?" Ginny asked as they made their way out of the large gates and towards the portkey-rental shack.

"At my place. She said she wanted to catch up on correspondence." Harry snorted and took Ginny's hand in his. "As if…hiding from Ron is more like it." Ginny stopped walking so the large Weasley mob could catch up. All of them had red hair except the Weasley wives and Grandma peg with the wooden leg. Even baby Matthew had red fuzz covering his knobbly head.

"Poor guy," Harry continued. "Hermione was pretty harsh, and apparently it was just out of the blue; he really wasn't expecting it."

Ginny snorted irritably. "Well he should have been. Don't blame this on Hermione, I'm surprised she didn't ditch him earlier. He's never been as sweet to her as you are to me."

Harry smiled to himself and draped an arm around her shoulders, as they set off walking again. Maybe Ron had had it coming, but he was still pretty hurt.

"That was fun anyway," Harry said, trying to change the subject. It worked.

"I can't believe you've never been to a Magizoo before," Ginny said, all irritation gone.

"Yeah well, I haven't exactly had a nice wizarding childhood have I?"

Ginny just laughed and wrapped her arms around him. That was one thing Harry loved about her. She never felt sorry for him, and she'd more likely tell him to quit whining and suck it up. "Well I think the chimera was the most interesting," Ginny said.

"I don't know, when that graphorn took a chunk out of the keeper's leg…"

"That was disgusting! Poor guy, looked like it really hurt." She sighed contentedly against Harry's chest. It was very tricky walking this way, but neither cared. They didn't want to let go of the other. "Well, I can safely say the flobberworms were by far the most boring display."

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "Why did they need an enclosure anyway? It's not like they move or anything."

Two large thumps on Harry's shoulder interrupted their conversation as Fred and George sprinted past, colliding with him.

"Run for your lives!" George yelled at the top of his lungs.

"They're loose!" screamed Fred, sprinting along with his twin.

"Boys, stop!" Mrs Weasley called angrily, puffing along after them. A few very scared young witches began to turn around and hurry away from the Magizoo. "Oh don't worry dears, they're just playing a joke. BOYS!" she screamed.

Ginny collapsed in giggles as the crowds of people heading towards and leaving the Magizoo began to speed up, heading towards the portkey rental shack. "Oh did you see little Noah's face this morning when Fred told him that UncleAdam would be forced to sell him off if the economy got any worse? Poor kid…"

Harry laughed as Mrs Weasley tried to calm down the many wizards and witches with no success.

"And Mum's having a fit as it is because Uncle Adam's family couldn't find any free rooms in the village inn, so that means I'm going to be sleeping on the sofa tonight," Ginny said as she handed a handful of sickles to the rental guy.

He looked warily at the large group and handed them three portkeys, with a curt nod. "Well you could always come back to my place if you wanted," Harry whispered in her ear as the family crowded around, each with one finger on the muddy tire. "Maybe we could go out for dinner."

She sighed and took his hand in her free one. "We have to have dinner with the family, Harry. Mum's booked us in down at the Leaky Cauldron and she'd be really upset if we didn't come. Hermione's invited too, of course, but whether she'll actually come or not…"

Suddenly, Harry's feet were jerked from the ground and he felt himself spinning violently, his finger still attached to the portkey but the rest of his body being pulled uncontrollably in various directions. With a thud, all twelve Weasley's and Harry hit the floor. The children were laughing and staggering around, and Harry grinned as he watched them. They weren't so bad; maybe he'd have to get himself one someday.

---

"So are you getting married then?" asked Robert once dinner was finished and everyone had returned to the Burrow. They were sitting outside in the warm night, stars and moon shining brightly. Floating candles lit up the garden and the atmosphere was very peaceful, even with ten children running around and shrieking with laughter. Harry had spent half an hour earlier that evening teaching 11-year-old Nicky and ten-year-old Robert how to fish with their bare hands…they didn't get very far, and Ginny eventually told them off for scaring the "poor little fish".

Nicky and Robert had both attached themselves to Harry, who found he didn't really mind. They were the oldest boys in their families and about to start their first year of Hogwarts. As Harry spoke to the two cousins, he looked over at Ginny who was sitting under a tree, the baby Matthew and chubby toddler Daniel on her lap.

"Huh?" Harry asked, realising that Robert had asked him a question.

"Are you marrying Ginny?" he asked again.

"Do you think I should?" Harry asked, scratching his head. Ginny looked up, caught his eye and blew him a kiss. He smiled at her and pretended to catch it.

Robert shrugged. "I think you gotta be crazy to get married. Dad says you gotta tell your wife she looks pretty _every day_, even if she looks like a troll or something."

Harry laughed at this and stretched his legs out, yawning. The warm night was making him feel drowsy and slow, and his eyes were beginning to droop when the back door banged open and Mr Weasley came outside.

"Oh Arthur," cried Mrs Weasley. "You're home! At last. You were at the office for hours!"

"Well, what's left of it," he replied sitting down on the garden bench and rubbing his face. Harry moved a little closer and listened intently to the adults' conversation. "The Deatheaters have found a new wizard to rally around," he muttered bitterly. "He's been organizing them, restoring order."

"Who is it Arthur?" asked Adam, Mr Weasley's brother.

"Snape." He spat out the name as if it was a dirty word. Harry felt his blood quicken, anger pulsing through his veins, but he didn't have long to dwell on the subject: Ginny had walked over, a child on each hip.

"Harry wants to marry you," Nicky said as his cousin snorted with laughter.

"Shut up, Nicky," Harry said, glaring at the boys. They continued to giggle despite the threatening look Harry was giving them.

"Oh really?" Ginny asked, grinning at them. "And what do you think about that?"

Nicky shrugged, trying to look dignified for his ten years. "Love'll find you even if you try an' hide from it. I've been trying to hide from it since I was five but the girls keep findin' me." He grinned sheepishly. "I'm pretty good with the girls."

"Is that so?" Ginny asked, putting down the young children and holding a hand out to Harry. He took it and let her pull him up. "What d'you say we go back to your place?" Ginny whispered as the children all watched them intently.

"Sounds good to me."

---

When Harry woke the following morning, Ginny wasn't beside him. Swinging his legs out of bed, he put on his glasses and went downstairs, to find Ginny and Hermione at the table. They were talking seriously and neither looked particularly happy.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, kissing Ginny on the cheek and sitting down at the table.

"Ginny and you received a letter this morning," Hermione said, tossing Harry an envelope like the one Ginny was holding. He put down the pot of coffee and picked up the letter. It was addressed to him. He slit it open and scanned it quickly, his brow furrowing.

"All volunteers are asked to start work tomorrow…For those who want to take Ministry duties on as a real job…might be dangerous…" Harry muttered as he read the letter.

"Looks like our careers as aurors are going to start tomorrow, huh?" Ginny said, chuckling shakily.

Harry looked intently at her as she bit her lip, and gazed sadly at the letter. "Ginny," he said quietly. "You've always wanted to be a Healer."

"Well, we need aurors right now don't we? Doesn't matter what we want…"

"Yes it does!" Hermione said, beating Harry to it. "Just because the ministry needs helpers doesn't mean _you_ have to be one of them."

Harry hated himself for what he was about to suggest, but he knew it was the right thing to do. "You should go back to school. Take your NEWTs. It'll be for the best."

"Only if you come too," she said stubbornly. Harry sighed inwardly, knowing he'd have to tell them his plans soon. He needed to find Snape. He needed to know that when he had a family, they would grow up in a safe world, and he, Harry, had to assure that safety. But he didn't want to work through the Ministry. He didn't want to become Minister for Magic, didn't want to have anything to do with them, because they'd never really been there when he needed help. He knew he'd have to leave Ginny and it'd be the hardest thing he'd have to do. Almost as hard as telling her about it.

* * *

**AN: ok well tell me if you think the story's moving a bit too slowly, coz i know i'm taking my time about this. I've started the next chapter and it's got a few more answers. please please review. i have so many reviewers i want to say thanyou too, so i wont list them all here, but i really aprreciate the lovely reviews! thanks**


	13. A few changes

**AN: ok so this chapter goes pretty quickly...umm hope you enjoy it and the next chapter will be up soon. I've almost finished it, so yea...enjoy!**

* * *

"So did you hear he withdrew from the elections?"

"I heard he told everyone to vote for that Weasley kid."

"Well _I_ heard he told everyone that he was going to India for awhile in search of his soul."

"I'm not so sure. Peggy told me he's an alcoholic, and he only volunteered because he was drunk."

Harry tried not to listen to the whispered rumours around him as he made his way down Diagon Alley, but it was hard to do. Every single person was talking about his unexpected speech the day before.

"It sucks to have everyone talking about you, huh?"

Harry turned his head to see the tall girl with long blonde hair who had nominated him the week before.

"We haven't met," she said, stepping forward and holding out her hand. "I'm Tania."

"Harry," he said, shaking her hand.

"So I heard you pulled out of the elections?"

Harry shook his head. "No I'm still in. I just told everyone the truth yesterday. About how I'm not old enough or experienced enough to be Minister."

"I think you could do it," she said, falling into step beside him.

Harry frowned. "You don't know me."

She shrugged. "Well I knew that you would never nominate yourself. And I also know that what this community needs right now is someone they have faith in."

"Yea," Harry said. "But they won't have faith in me once I stuff everything up will they? I can't be minister. I'm not the right person for the job."

Tania just shrugged and they continued to walk down the cobbled street in silence. Harry wasn't sure he trusted this girl. He still didn't know who she was and yet she was talking to him as though they were long lost friends.

"You didn't go to Hogwarts," Harry said after a few minutes.

She smiled. "No, I've just moved here actually. The magical ambassador for Australia was killed last week and my dad works in International Relations so he was asked to take the previous Ambassador's place, so we all moved here. I don't really know anyone yet."

Harry considered her for a moment, then said, "Well I'm going out to dinner with my girlfriend and some friends tonight if you'd like to join us."

---

"I wish you could come too," Ginny whispered, her face tilted up to Harry's.

"I wish you could come with _me_," Harry said back, kissing her forehead. They both sighed and stared unhappily into the other's eyes. "I'm going to miss you so much."

Burying her face into Harry's warm chest, Ginny felt the tears burning her eyes and threatening to spill over. She was going back to school and he was going off in search of Snape. And they were both too stubborn to change their minds.

"I'll see you at Christmas, right?"

Harry nodded. "Hermione's coming back then as well."

"Write this time, won't you?" Ginny demanded, glaring fiercely at him. He laughed and nodded his head again, kissing her eyelids, nose and mouth, until her knees went weak and it was a good thing Harry was holding her up. "And try not to get into too much trouble."

"You too," Harry said as the Hogwarts express whistled and they were both brought back to reality. Brushing the tears off of her face, Harry told her he loved her and before he knew it, she was gone.

"You'll see her soon," Ron mumbled as they watched the train turn a bend and chug out of sight. "She'll be back at Christmas."

"That's almost four months," said Harry. Tania patted his arm sympathetically and the three teenagers made their way back over to Mr and Mrs Weasley.

---

"So, how are things going with Tania?" Harry asked, smirking.

"None of your bloody business," Ron shot back, throwing a pillow at him. Harry dodged it and stretched out on his back. They were both lounging on the squishy sofas back in Harry's apartment, waiting for Kingsley Shacklebolt's latest news on Snape. After Dumbledore's death, Shacklebolt had been given the task of tracking down and capturing the murderer Severus Snape, but so far, there were no leads.

"I hear they're doing another no-magic day tomorrow," Harry said, flicking open a book then chucking it back onto the coffee table. He was too worked up to read. These "no-magic days" were orders of the ministry, a plan devised by the new Minister of Magic, Percy Weasley. The theory was that any magic used during the course of that day must have been used by a Deatheater, and therefore the Ministry's job of tracking them all down was made much easier. So far the plan wasn't working.

"She's really nice and all," Ron said, gazing into the distance, his mind clearly still on Tania. "And she's reeeaaally good looking" Harry nodded in agreement "but it's like we don't really fit. I mean, she's not…" he blushed and looked around guiltily. "It's just…well, she's not…Hermione."

Harry cleared his throat uncomfortably and scratched his head. "If you liked Hermione so much, why did you act like such a prat around her?"

Ron shrugged and the conversation was brought to a close when the door banged open and Tania came running in, her face flushed and eyes shining. In her hand was an envelope and this seemed to be the focus of her excitement.

Without pausing to say hello, she said, "They've found him!"

---

"Harry, come on! We've got to get out of here," Ron said urgently, pulling on Harry's robes, trying to make him see reason. However, Harry didn't notice. He couldn't see anything except the crumpled body on the floor and the glistening, dark red blood on his hands.

"Harry, we have to go!" Another hand grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the body, away from the murder. Snapping out of his trance, Harry dropped his wand with a clatter and took a few hurried steps backwards.

"No," he muttered, trying to wipe his hands clean on his robes, with no success. "No."

Ron grabbed Harry's wand and with a crack, he, Harry and Tania disapparated.

---

"No _you_ don't understand!" Harry yelled in frustration. "I _killed_ a man."

"You killed Severus Snape," Tania yelled back equally loud. "He was responsible for hundreds of deaths, including your parents! You had no choice, he would have killed you."

"I could've done something else," Harry muttered, trying to recreate the sequence of events in his head, but his memory was too blurry. He couldn't remember _exactly_ what had happened.

"What were you supposed to do?" Ron spat bitterly. "Everyone thinks you did the right thing. The ministry gave you an Order of Merlin, first class! If you hadn't killed him, he would have killed you."

Harry wasn't listening. He ran a hand through his rumpled hair and began to walk towards the front door of the Burrow.

"Where are you going?" Tania asked.

"I've got to figure a few things out," Harry said, pulling the door open. "I've got to get away."

"For how long?"

"As long as it takes!" Harry yelled, turning on them both. "You have no idea what I'm going through. I just _killed_ someone."

Silence filled the living room as Harry glared at his two friends then stormed over to the door and pulled it open.

"Harry, wait," Tania said. He turned angrily. He didn't want to be talked out of this. He had to leave; he just had to. What he'd done…no, he couldn't impose himself on others. He'd lost himself in anger and hatred. He'd lost all sense and acted in a way that he could never forgive. He had to leave, just to prove he had the willpower to leave the security of home, the comfort of his friends company, because he didn't deserve either thing anymore.

"What?" he asked.

Tania held out a cloak. "It's cold outside."

He looked at her for a moment, and then took the cloak with a murmur of thanks.

"And Harry? It's Christmas in two weeks…just, try and come back by then, ok?"

Harry attempted a small smile and left the house, forcing himself out into the bitterly cold weather, forcing himself to be alone, because he felt he didn't deserve the comforts of warmth and company. After all, he was a murderer.

* * *

**AN: ok so i know this went quickly but hey when there isn't fluff it's just not fun. ;) anyway in case you were wondering i don't think tania will play a big role, but i thought ron really needed a new gf. and where do hot ppl come from? australia...just look at me, i'm living proof haha. anyway please please review. didn't get as many on my last chapter so i was quite upset. cya! xxx**


	14. Coming home

**AN:** ouch…burn. Sooo I got the feeling no one liked the way I wrote the last chapter. Sorry bout that. My attempt to write artistically lol. Did not work apparently :D. haha oh well. Back to normal. **Summary of last chapter**: Hermione went off to America, Ginny went back to school, Ron started dating Tania, Harry killed Snape and then went off on his own to sulk for a bit. Anyway hope u enjoy:

* * *

"Hermione" squealed Mrs Weasley as the front door banged open and Mr Weasley walked in, followed by Hermione.

"Molly!" Hermione dropped her bags and hugged Mrs Weasley.

"You're home earlier than expected. We thought you were arriving a week after Ginny was let out from school."

Hermione's eyes darted from Ginny to Ron then she smiled at Mrs Weasley and shrugged. "Well, I couldn't stand being away from you all for much longer."

A cough from the doorway made everyone turn to see who had come in.

"Oh sorry! I almost forgot." Hermione hurried over to the door and took the man's hand, pulling him into the room…he looked familiar. "Viktor and I met up in America! I had no idea he was going to Salem's as well. I got the biggest shock when I found out he was in my house."

Ron scowled as Viktor Krum held out his hand to the Weasleys who all shook it warmly. He also had to put up with Tania tugging on his arm and whispering excitedly, "Far out, that's Krum, the Quidditch player!"

"Hello everyone, eet ees very nice to see you again. Herm-y-oh-ninny has told me so much about all ov you."

"Well," said Mrs Weasley, slightly flustered and a bit pink in the face, "I'm very excited to have you here. Would you like a warm drink? Something to eat? A nice bath, maybe?"

Krum just smiled at her, but Hermione said, "Actually, maybe if Ginny could show us to our rooms? I'm so tired, travelling by portkey over continents is not fun."

Ginny led the way up the creaking stairs, knowing exactly what Hermione wanted to talk about, but Ginny wasn't so sure that she _could_ talk about it. She didn't want to; it hurt so much. Ginny showed Krum his room (Percy's old room) then led Hermione upstairs to her own, where they would both be sleeping.

The room was warm and a fire crackled merrily in the small fireplace. Snow was beginning to fall outside and pile up on the windowsill, tinsel and paper chains were draped on the walls and a sprig of mistletoe hung over the window seat.

"So I got your owl," Hermione said, dropping her bags and flopping down onto the bed. Ginny walked over to the window and looked out. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but didn't let them spill over. "When did he leave?"

Pausing before speaking, Ginny said, "A week ago." A tear leaked out of her eye but she didn't move to brush it away. "I know it's not a long time, but no one knows where he went and he hasn't replied to my owls. I'm not sure he even got them…Errol isn't too reliable."

"As soon as he finds out you're back, he'll be home. You'll see."

"But he knows when the holidays are, Hermione! He knows that I'm home! It's just…" she hiccupped and sat down on the window seat. "I'm so worried about him. I mean, a part of me almost knew this was going to happen. I remember after Voldemort died, Harry was so angry with himself because he thought he was a coward for not killing him. He'd have thought the same thing if he didn't kill Snape. But I knew if he did kill Snape, then he'd blame himself as well."

"Ginny, there was nothing anyone could do," Hermione said softly. She sat down beside her friend and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "He'll be home, and when he comes back, he'll need you."

"And what if he doesn't want me anymore?"

"Don't be stupid," Hermione said, squeezing Ginny's shoulders tightly. "Ron never looked at me the way Harry looks at you." She paused. "Viktor's never looked at me that way either."

Chuckling tearfully, Ginny asked, "So what happened between you two in America?"

"Well it was pretty simple actually," Hermione said with a shrug. "Krum was accepted to Salem's last year on a Quidditch scholarship and I just happened to be put in his house. We became friends and then," she blushed and picked at a hole in her jeans. "Well then we became…erm…more than friends."

"So…have you two…y'know?" Ginny wiggled her eyebrows and grinned.

"No we have not," Hermione said in a dignified tone. "And I'm not sure if I want to anyway," Hermione muttered quickly. "He's a bit…"

"Slimy?" Ginny suggested.

"Mmm, that's a good word. So, what's going on between Ron and that Australian girl?"

Ginny sighed. "Oh I don't know. How Ron managed to get a girl like that, I'll never know. She reeaally likes him but he seems a bit indifferent to tell the truth. It's a lot like that relationship he had with Lavender Brown, remember?"

Hermione snorted. "How could I forget?"

And for the time being, Ginny had almost forgotten about Harry. Almost. Not quite…the knot in her stomach had loosened slightly but the ache in her heart and the need to be in his arms didn't fade at all.

---

" 'Morning," Ron mumbled as Ginny and Hermione came down for breakfast the next morning. Plates of egg and bacon sat on the kitchen table, along with fresh toast, jugs of coffee, milk and juice, porridge and cereals.

"Looks good, Mum," Ginny said, sitting down and helping herself to some coffee.

"Well we've got a lot of people coming over very soon. Bill and Fleur will be arriving in about half an hour. They're bringing Christine as well, of course, and Fleur says she still cries at night so I've put a silencing charm on Fred and George's bedroom so they'll be staying there. Tania, dear, I'm going to have to put you in with Ginny and Hermione now that we need the twins' bedrooms, and Viktor if you could stay in Ron's room because Charlie, Fred and George need Percy's bedroom."

Ron scowled into his bowl of cereal, clearly displeased with these sleeping arrangements.

"Well why couldn't you just put Fred and George in their room and…" but Ginny trailed off, noticing the look on her mother's face.

"Oh, Gin, I almost forgot," Ron said his mouth full. He handed over a small scrunched up piece of parchment. "Came last night."

Taking it excitedly, Ginny pulled it open and read: _-Ron. Will be home soon. Tell Ginny I love her. _Ginny turned the paper over, looking for more, but there was nothing else written.

He could've written to me, Ginny thought angrily. He could've told _me_ he loved me, not Ron. And what did soon mean anyway? Soon could mean tomorrow, or a week. Why was Harry doing this to her?

Running her fingers through her hair, Ginny tried to stop the flood of angry questions now pounding through her head. With a scrape, Ginny pushed her chair backwards and stood up. "I'm going to go and finish wrapping presents," she told the room, and left quickly, the scribbled note still clutched in her hand.

---

"Hey," Hermione said softly, stepping into the room to find Ginny curled up in her favourite place on the window seat. "You've been up here all day."

Shrugging, Ginny said, "I've been wrapping presents."

Not a single present, bow or piece of ribbon was in sight. "Clearly…" Hermione said drily. "Do you want to be alone?"

"Depends what you mean by 'alone'…"

Hermione sighed and left the room closing the door softly behind her.

A few minutes past and Ginny was left by herself, staring out into the dark night, watching the snow fall gently outside the window. A baby began to cry. Ginny had barely taken two minutes to say hello to Bill, Fleur and the new baby, Christine. She knew she was acting like a child, annoying everyone and ruining Christmas spirit but she couldn't help it. She hated not being with him. She'd been looking forward to these Christmas holidays so much because Harry would be here and they could spend two amazing weeks together before she had to return to school.

The door creaked open again and Ginny rolled her eyes exasperatedly. Why couldn't they leave her alone? "Hermione, go away! Please."

"Sorry, I didn't mean…I'll go if you want…"

Ginny spun around, the deep voice sending chills of recognition down her back. There he was, standing in the doorway. Was she imagining him? Was he actually there? He had to be…he looked so real: his pale skin, contrasting magnificently with his dark hair, bright green eyes and red lips.

"Harry." She stood, then slowly walked over to him, and carefully touched his worried face. "You're really here," she whispered, taking her hand back.

He nodded and attempted a smile. It was very weak. "I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice cracking. "I'm so sorry."

Ginny shook her head as if to tell him it was fine, that it would all be ok. They stood like that for a few moments in awkward silence until Ginny crossed the room and sat on the bed. Harry followed.

"So…where have you been?"

Harry just shrugged. "I've been trying to figure a few things out. I went to Godric's Hollow, actually…" he looked up and their eyes met for the first time that night. Ginny's stomach began to churn and her heart leapt. It was still there. Everything they'd ever felt was still there and suddenly they couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Ginny buried her face into Harry's warm chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Then she tilted her face up to his and their eyes locked, their lips met, and all the passion, love, desire, and anger that had been felt over the past four months poured out, and when the kiss broke, they were left gasping for breath, then going back for more.


	15. A secret revealed

Suddenly Ginny stood up, pulling away from him. "What took you so long?" she demanded.

Harry stood too. "I had to get away on my own for awhile."

Ginny watched him shrewdly for a moment, then said, "You promised me you'd be here when I came back. Well I've been back for four days, and not a word from you."

"I killed Snape." Harry wasn't sure why he said it, but he needed her to understand what he was going through. He needed her help and this was his way of asking. Ginny shook her head, annoyed at herself and took him gently in her arms. She didn't know what to do, and just hoped that her touch would be enough.

"I'm sorry," he whispered wrapping his own arms around her. "I shouldn't have…I'll be here from now on, I promise. It's over now. All of it. It's over."

"Now we can live," whispered Ginny.

Nodding, Harry stroked her hair and kissed her. "I went to Godric's Hollow."

"Mmm. You said. Why?"

"I went to see my parents' graves to begin with. Then I visited the piece of land where our house had been: it was left to me in their will." The two of them sat back down on the bed, still holding hands. "Anyway, a new house has been built on it and Ginny, it's the most beautiful house; it's a little cottage with these plants growing up the walls and there's a wishing well in the garden and all these big trees."

"Whose is it?" Ginny asked, scooting closer so he was forced to raise his arm and allow her to snuggle closer to him.

"It belongs to this old man, I can't remember his name...Larry something? I don't know. Anyway, he was shovelling snow off of the path when I arrived and I told him who I was and that I owned the land…"

"And?" Ginny asked, now intrigued.

"Well it took awhile to convince him that I actually owned the place. Then he told me he'd built the place himself a while ago and he was looking to sell it anyway. So…I bought a house."

"So that's what you've been doing this whole time? Buying a house?"

Harry shrugged. He'd actually spent quite a lot of time sitting on his parents' graves trying to find answers that just weren't there. "Most of it," he agreed.

Ginny got off the bed and stared out the window, her arms folded. An emotion filled her but she couldn't quite place it. So he was going to leave her after all. He'd bought himself a nice house, hours away from the Burrow. He'd be going back there and she'd be going back to school

A pair of arms wrapped themselves around Ginny and she couldn't help but fall back into his warm body. "Ginny," he whispered into her ear. "I got this place because I thought you might want to live there with me. And anyway, I didn't spend the whole time buying a house…I was pretty messed up for a couple of days."

"So, what happened?" Ginny asked, turning and wrapping her arms around him. It felt wonderful to be able to hold him again.

"I realised I'd done something that I never want to do again. Killing Snape…well it's a part of me now." He shrugged and looked slightly embarrassed at his little speech. "I don't know, I mean I guess I saved a lot of people by killing him, but I still killed a man. I killed him out of anger and hate and that made me just as bad as him…"

Ginny cut across him, "No, you hated him for a good reason. He hated for no reason at all." Neither spoke for a minute until Ginny suddenly realised something and she turned her face back up to him. "Have you said hello to the family yet?"

"Oh," Harry said blushing. "I forgot actually. I just came right up here to you."

"Come on," Ginny said, taking his hand and leading him to the door.

---

"Eesn't she just ze most beautiful zing?"

Harry was standing in the living room, holding the baby Christine, and feeling quite awkward. Tension was extremely thick: Fleur had met Tania and they did _not_ get along. Also Tania was upset because Ron kept complaining about Hermione and Krum. Krum was upset because he didn't want to share a room with Ron, and Harry was upset because a baby had just thrown up on him. So all in all, the atmosphere was not a particularly happy one.

Harry was glad when he found himself alone with Hermione and Ron later that evening. It had been a long time since the three of them sat and talked. Of course, Harry couldn't exactly call it relaxing as Hermione and Ron were bickering, but it reminded him of old times.

"I just don't see why you had to bring him," Ron said, leaning back in his chair so it was balancing precariously on the two back legs.

"Well, why's Tania here?" Hermione shot back. "And don't do that, you'll break the chair and hurt yourself."

Ron let the chair fall back to the floor. "She's our friend. Krum isn't, he's a moody git who -"

"He's _my_ friend, Ron, I don't care whether you like him."

Ron snorted. "Yeah, right. Your _friend;_ I doubt that."

Hermione stood up in a huff and said, "I'm going to bed. It was nice talking to _you_, anyway Harry." She turned on her heel and left the room grumpily, ignoring Ron.

"Good job," Harry said, yawning.

"What does she see in him anyway?" Ron asked. Grinning, Harry remembered Ron asking that exact same question in their fourth year.

"You jealous or something?"

"No!" Ron shot at him. Then he sighed, slumping forward in his chair. "You don't think she's sleeping with him, do you?"

Harry shrugged. "She could be," he muttered. Both boys sat there for a few moments, trying to think up all the hexes they could use on Krum if he was mistreating Hermione. "What about you and Tania, how's that going?"

Ron blushed. "Not amazing actually. She keeps saying she 'wants to take our relationship to the next level'. What does that _mean_ anyway?"

Laughing, Harry got to his feet and stretched before he could be questioned on his relationship, but he wasn't quick enough.

"And you?" Ron asked. "What about you and my sister?"

"Oh, I wish I had what you two have." Hermione was back, now dressed in pyjamas and fluffy slippers, an empty hot water bottle in hand. "I was thinking, if Tania" she scowled as she said the name "and I slept in the living room tonight, you and Ginny could have her bedroom."

"It's ok," Harry said, his face going pink. Knocking his mug flying, Ron sat up quickly in the chair.

"Why would they want her bedroom?" he demanded. Harry could feel the heat in his face intensifying and tried to shoot Hermione a warning look. Either she didn't see him or she was ignoring him.

"To do what normal adults do when they're in a loving relationship."

"Hermione…" Harry began warningly but Ron cut him off.

"But you two haven't…I mean you wouldn't…have you?"

"Nice going, Hermione," Harry said, glaring at his friend. She just gave Ron a patronising look and opened her mouth to say something when Ginny came into the kitchen.

"Hey, I've been looking for you three. It's another no magic day tomorrow. They just announced it over the wireless."

"No magic? Again?" complained Ron. He leaned backwards in his chair again, a sulky expression on his face. "I don't get it though. Voldemort and Snape are both dead. The death eaters haven't attacked in ages."

"Actually they have," said Ginny, throwing a copy of the Evening Prophet down onto the kitchen table.

"Mass Muggle Killing," Harry murmured, reading the heading. "Seventeen muggles killed, two out of ten Deatheaters captured."

CRACK!

"RON! I told you, if you leant back in that chair, it would break!"

Ron rubbed his head, and looked up at Harry and Ginny who were snorting with laughter. Taking Hermione's outstretched hand, he got to his feet and surveyed the damage. With an embarrassed glance at the others, he took out his wand and muttered 'Reparo'.

"Well I'm off to bed," Harry said with a yawn as he rose to his feet. Ginny glanced up at him with a smile playing on her lips.

_I'm so lucky_, she thought to herself as she looked up at his long, sinewy frame, messy black hair and startling green eyes. He was a good-looking guy; there was no denying that. Ginny took his outstretched hand and returned Hermione and Ron's 'goodnights' as they left the kitchen and made their way upstairs.

"I've missed you," Ginny whispered, once they reached the second floor landing. Wrapping his arms around her, Harry pulled her close.

"Four months is too long," he said and she nodded in agreement.

"There are so many things I want to tell you about." She touched his cheek softly and said quietly, "and there are so many things you need to tell me."

Harry nodded and their lips met hungrily, needing each other. "Tomorrow," he whispered. "We have tomorrow."

"And another week and a half after that."

They both sighed sadly, realising that was all the time they had together. Harry kissed her again then they bid each other goodnight and went on to their separate bedrooms.

* * *

**AN: bit of a surprise next chap. umm i only have a few chapters left. about three or four probably. please review! xxx**


	16. Unwelcome

Harry was woken the next morning by Ron's bedroom door slamming open and an angry voice filling the room.

"You are never going to _believe_ what Mum's gone and done!" Ginny almost yelled.

"What?" grumbled Ron, turning over in his bed.

"She's decided it would be 'a _lovely_ idea' – to put it in her own words – if we invited Draco Malfoy to Christmas lunch since he has no family to spend it with!"

Harry sat up sharply in his bed and hurriedly put on his glasses. "Malfoy?"

"Yes! I mean, I know he's on our side and all, but if that slimy little git comes anywhere near –"

"She can't have!" Ron said loudly. "Malfoy. In our house?"

"I know, but Mum thinks" she put on a voice reminiscent of Mrs Weasley's and said, "he's changed."

Harry and Ron both snorted. Krum just sat on his mattress looking slightly bewildered. His English wasn't excellent and he looked slightly taken aback by all the yelling this early in the morning. Also, he had no idea who Malfoy was.

Scratching his head, Harry looked up at Ginny, a crease between his eyebrows. "Well, we can't do much can we?" He threw the covers off and swung his legs out of bed.

Ginny frowned, hoping for help from at least Harry. "Aren't you upset about this?"

Harry shrugged. "Without Malfoy's help, we wouldn't have found Voldemort or Snape."

"Why are you sticking up for him?"

"Why are you yelling?"

Ron looked from his sister to his best friend in disbelief. Even Krum was watching them curiously and he didn't know how close they were.

"Never mind," Ginny muttered and she left the room, her face red and angry.

"Ok, what just happened?" Harry asked completely bewildered as he pulled on a shirt, sweater and pair of jeans. "She just yelled at me. _Why_?"

---

It took Harry a long time to find Ginny that morning. He eventually found her tucked away in the attic, a blanket draped over her, reading a book.

He sat down beside her but she didn't look up. "You often come up here on your own?"

Turning a page she shrugged then noticed Harry shiver and spread half of the blanket over him. He scratched his head.

"Are you angry at me?"

Ginny smiled and closed her book. "No, Harry. I'm not angry with you."

"Then why –"

"I've missed you and… I don't know. It's hard. Four months apart. I guess I've just thought about us so much I've turned this relationship into something unrealistic."

Harry didn't say anything for a while, just leaned back against a dusty old trunk and chewed on his thumbnail. "I thought about you a lot. But you're even more amazing then I remembered."

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry," Ginny said suddenly realizing how insensitive what she had just said was. "I didn't mean it's not incredible, it is…it's just…I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he said and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They sat in silence for awhile, leaning against each other and thinking hard. Finally Harry asked, just to break the silence, "How's school?"

"Not the same without you and Ron and Hermione. Oh you'll never guess what, Luna's going out with Colin Creevey!"

"What?" Harry asked, laughing. "Luna and Colin? Bet that's a bizarre relationship."

"So how about you?" Ginny asked softly, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it tightly. "What happened?"

Harry sighed and rubbed his face with his free hand. "Well we found them all right. Just where Malfoy said they'd be. Tania and Ron started fighting the Deatheaters; there were only three of them, so I slipped past and went to find Snape.

"He was making some potion and his back was to me. I didn't want to attack him with his back turned so said his name and he jumped about a foot in the air. He really wasn't expecting to see me. I didn't mean to kill him, Ginny. See we were duelling and I guess he was just hit by one too many spells and he…I killed him."

"That happened with Lestrange," Ginny said quietly. "When I killed her over the summer. At the final battle."

Neither spoke for a long time, but when the snow began to fall again outside Harry picked himself up and held a hand out to Ginny. "I'm freezing. Come on, let's go downstairs."

---

"Harry, you're cheating!"

"I am not," Harry said in mock disbelief. "How could you say something like that?"

Ginny glared at him. "You are _so_ cheating!"

"Am not."

"Fine. Use the word 'obagalrf' in a sentence then."

Harry paused to think then said, "It was a very obagalrf sort of day."

"You're so full of it," Ginny said, stretching her legs out. "And you don't get points."

"What? I used it in a sentence."

"_This_ is why I don't play Scrabble with you. You're completely hopeless!"

Harry grinned and leaned over the game board, kissing her on the lips. The letters scattered and their game was officially ruined, but neither cared.

"Oh do you two mind?" Ron asked, walking into the living room holding five mugs of hot chocolate. "You're as bad as Hermione and that git, Krum."

"Hark whose talking Ron! You and Tania are much worse than Harry and me."

"Oh really?" Ron asked sarcastically. "Hermione told me about you two, last night." He glared at them both. "You do a lot more than kissing!"

"Oh grow up, Ron! Yes, Harry and I have had sex, big deal!"

Unfortunately for both Ginny and Harry, Mr Weasley walked into the room at that point. His face turned stony and two pink patches burned in his cheeks before he turned and promptly left the room.

Ron snorted. "You could fry an egg on your face Harry. Lucky for you it's a no-magic day, otherwise I think dad might have hexed you." He frowned. "Actually I might have too."

"Yeah, right," Harry said, his insides melting with embarrassment. "As if _you'd_ be able to hex me."

Ron sat down in an armchair and arranged his mugs of hot chocolate on the small coffee table.

"Are they _all_ for you?" asked Ginny, indicating the numerous mugs.

"Yup, and I'm not planning on moving till dinnertime either so if you could go and grab me a few mince pies I'd much appreciate it."

Ginny just raised a thin eyebrow and got to her feet, pulling Harry with her. No point being embarrassed about something they hadn't done in four months, she thought as they made their way up to her bedroom.

---

Christmas morning dawned grey and cold. Snow was falling gently outside the window when Harry woke. As usual, a stack of presents sat at the foot of his bed. Punching Ron in the arm first, Harry picked up a large red package and undid the bow. Grunting, Ron sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Merry Christmas," Harry said, pulling out the dark green sweater Mrs Weasley had knitted for him. It had a large snitch stitched onto the front with sparkly golden thread that twinkled up at him despite the dimly lit room.

"'Mornin'," Ron yawned. He too grabbed a present and ripped the paper off. Once Harry had unwrapped the Weasleys', Hermione's, Lupin's, Hagrid's, Tania's and Ron's present he realized there was one missing: he hadn't received anything from Ginny. But then again, he hadn't given anything to her yet, either. He wanted to wait until later when they were alone together.

Breakfast that morning was a noisy affair. Tania had gone home for Christmas, but all the Weasleys, Hermione, Krum, Harry, Lupin, Tonks, the screaming baby, Christine and Fleur were all seated around the table. As usual, the food was absolutely delicious: crispy white bread, jams of all flavours, steaming porridge with honey and cream, and a large leg of ham.

Harry ate until he could eat more, then sat back and listened to the animated conversation around him. Ginny was spending all her efforts on making as much fun as Fleur as she possible could, who was getting steadily more flustered. Fred and George were joining in of course.

After breakfast was eaten and cleaned up, everyone retreated to the living room. All the seats taken, Harry sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, Ginny in between his legs, her head resting against his chest. He was quite content and relaxed when a knock on the door woke him from his stupor.

The room became quiet almost at once as everyone looked at Mrs Weasley who, quite pink in the face, stood and left the room. Dark muttering filled the room in her wake. Without noticing, Harry wrapped his arms protectively around Ginny and pulled her closer.

"Come on in, come on in," came Mrs Weasley's voice from the hall as she walked back into the room, followed by a tall young man with blonde hair, light blue eyes and a pointed face.

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**AN: Please review! Next chap should be quite exciting...:o) oh and who wants Ron and Hermione to get back together? please tell me so i can see wat everyone would prefer...**


	17. Breaking the ice

**AN:** sorry about the short chapter. wanted to update soon. next one is already written. ok now ive been really slack lately and have just been totally not replying to my reviews. sorry, i know its quite rude of me! ok so to everyone: thanks for the reviews! ok to **partycar**: tom felton is hot! but not as hot as rupert grint...and i dunno i think malfoy could be kinda hot, maybe. **bandicootbuddy**: i've tried to make it interesting so i hope u like this. **Mysticbookie**: i actually am thinking of writing a sequel, so once this one's done, keep checking my profile! **glitterglow**: gives funny look. sorry but you were outvoted...as u were the only one to say hermionedraco. Ive never really gotten into that pairing. although i do really like Hermionsnape stuff now. **jenniferduesbee**: my most amazing reviewer...hehe i did actually consider ur idea, and u'll see wat happens next chapter!

Wow long note. ok so everyone wanted hermioneron, so more on that next chapter i promise!

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"Ow, Harry you're hurting me," Ginny whispered fiercely while trying to pry his hands loose. 

"Oh, sorry," he said, realising his grip on Ginny had tightened dramatically, and let her go.

Still no one in the room had greeted Malfoy, who was looking down at his feet, his pale face pinker than usual. The tension in the room was extremely thick; the silence so loud that Harry was afraid to break it.

"Come now! This is no way to treat a guest!" Mrs Weasley said huffily, gently pushing Malfoy into the room. "Now, we've already eaten breakfast and lunch should be ready in about an hour. Sit down, make yourself comfortable; oh look, Hermione and Ron are playing exploding snap! Why don't you join them? I'll be back in a minute." And with that, she left the room to go and check on her cooking.

Tentatively, Malfoy took a small step and when no one jumped at him, he seemed to think it was okay to enter the room properly. Mr Weasley stood and offered him an outstretched hand, which Malfoy cautiously took.

"Please, do make yourself at home, Draco."

After Mr Weasley broke the ice, Lupin, Tonks, Bill and Charlie all greeted him heartily and he sat down in a free armchair. Talk began to resume once more, but Harry said nothing. He was watching Malfoy intently, but he had yet to look at Harry.

A loud bang to Harry's right made him jump and turn his head: the stack of cards had just blown up in Hermione's face and she was fuming with anger.

"You cheater, Ron!" she said heatedly (**A/N**: please excuse the bad puns!)

"Cheater? I did _not_ cheat! If you had any idea how to actually _play_ this game, Hermione, maybe you'd realise that."

"Well, I'm sorry if I'm not as good as this as your precious _girlfriend_. When we were going out, you didn't exactly spend a lot of time, with me, did you?"

Harry glanced over at Malfoy again, who now had the most bizarre expression on his face: it was a mix between humour, shock, and incredulity that he was actually sitting in the Burrow, listening to this argument.

Ron opened his mouth to retort but instead Mr Weasley said, "That's enough, you two. It's Christmas, let's try and get along. Now, why don't you five go through to the dining room and set the table, eh?"

Harry stood and pulled Ginny up with him, still ignoring Malfoy stoically, and left the room with her, followed by Ron, Hermione and Malfoy. Krum looked quite annoyed that he hadn't been included, but then again, everyone (counting Hermione) had sort of forgotten about him since he'd arrived.

"Here, Malfoy, you can put these around," Ginny said, dumping a load of knives and forks into his hands.

Malfoy nodded then opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and closed it again. They proceeded to set the table in uneasy silence until Hermione finally said, "This is completely ridiculous. Malfoy, we're glad you could make it today."

She held out her hand, which he looked at, almost suspiciously, before he took it in his and shook it. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Please…call me Draco."

Hermione nodded and for the first time, a real smile crossed Malfoy's face.

"Wait," Ginny said, as she laid down a plate. "We have one too many places."

"No, we don't," Ron said.

"Ronald, I can count! We have one too many places."

"No we don't!" He paused looking a bit uncomfortable. "Tania's coming over for lunch."

Hermione groaned and slammed a glass down on the table. It shattered instantly and before Harry could do it, Malfoy had drawn his wand and repaired the damage.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "Tania is Ron's girlfriend and she's a complete whor-"

"Hermione!" Harry shot, warningly, noticing Ron's face darken. "Just leave it, ok?"

Malfoy actually snorted, which made Hermione smile, and even Ginny grinned. Feeling slightly more relaxed now, free talk once again resumed, and Malfoy was included in the conversation, although Ron and Harry didn't speak to him directly.

Mrs Weasley stuck her head around the doorway and beamed: they were all laughing hard at something Ginny had just said, Malfoy as well. Harry had never seen Malfoy laugh like that before and it seemed very strange to him.

"The food's ready if you could please come and get it," Mrs Weasley said, and withdrew her head. Wiping their streaming eyes, Hermione, Ron and Ginny left the room.

"Malfoy," Harry said quickly before he had a chance to leave too. Malfoy turned and looked at him. "I just wanted to say…thanks. F- for everything this last year."

Malfoy nodded his head. "It was the least I could do. And please…it's Draco."

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ok so this is the...wat's the word...penultimate chapter? yup only one more left...BUT i will prob write a sequel. anyway please review! xxx 


	18. And so it ends

**AN: **Last chapter! I really wanted to make this chapter absolutely incredible, coz it's the last and everything; well…im not sure about incredible but its ok I think. It's very long tho. Now, I'm pretty sure I'm going to write a sequel, maybe after they're already married. Umm…lets see, what else…Thankyou to everyone who read this story and reviewed it. Special thanks to Jennifer Duesbee, The Queen C, glitterglow, partycar, princessfromindia, mystic bookie, Undeniable destiny, xxxjustacontradictionxxx…wow the list just goes on and on. I hope u like this chapter!

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Everyone had just sat down at the table, ready to eat the amazing feast spread out before them, when they heard the back door open and close, and someone yell out, "Hello?" 

Tania walked into the dining room, smiling, a few presents stacked up in her arms. Her long blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders, and snow was slowly melting in it. Her very pale skin was flushed from the cold, and her bright blue eyes twinkled under snowy eyelashes. Harry snuck a look at Malfoy, who looked stunned at the beautiful girl standing before him.

"Yeah, we all wondered how Ron could get a girl like her, too." Ginny whispered to Malfoy, who was sitting next to her.

"_That's_ Ron's girlfriend?" Malfoy whispered back. "Wow…"

"Tania, come in, come in…We're just about to start."

"Is she veela?" Malfoy asked quietly, taking a sip of Butterbeer.

"No, I don't think so." Ginny scowled. "She's not that pretty anyway."

"Yes she is," said Harry, Ron, Fred, George, Bill and Charlie all at the same time.

Ginny shook her head in exasperation, and proceeded to fill her plate with turkey, potatoes and vegetables. Christmas lunch was exceptionally good: Mrs Weasley's cooking, as usual, was amazing. Once lunch had finished, everyone helped to clear away the remaining food and plates.

Harry was standing in the pantry putting away the sugar bowl when Ginny walked past and closed the door, not noticing him standing in there.

"Dammit," Harry swore, groping around in the dark trying to find the door. "Gin?" No one answered so he continued his search, unable to see anything in the pitch-blackness.

"I just don't see why you're being so nice to him!" came Ron's voice from outside the door. There it was. Harry's fingers found the door handle, and he was just about to throw the door open when he heard Hermione's voice too.

"He's different, Ron! Even _Harry _can see that."

Harry opened the door just a crack and saw Hermione and Ron alone in the kitchen. Maybe he didn't want to walk out on this…after all, Ron and Hermione did need a chance to talk to each other alone.

"Just, give him a chance, Ron," Hermione's voice was softer than it was a moment ago. "You don't have to like him…" She took a step towards Ron, who looked annoyed.

"Where's Krum anyway?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Who knows…I haven't seen him since lunch. Probably upstairs writing sickly sweet love poems. It's _really_ annoying."

Ron snorted and Hermione hit him playfully on the arm. "It's not funny."

"Yes it is. It's your fault too, you shouldn't have brought him."

"I heard you and Tania weren't getting on too well."

Ron shrugged then looked shrewdly at her. "Can I tell you something?"

Hermione nodded and leaned backwards against the kitchen table.

"I don't actually like her very much."

Hermione laughed. "We're a right pair aren't we?"

Ron nodded and automatically, it seemed, tucked a curl behind Hermione's ear. Their faces were now mere inches away, and Harry could feel his own face burning as they crept closer together, noses almost touching.

"Wait," Hermione whispered, her lips almost touching his. "We shouldn't do this."

"Why?" Ron asked quietly, his hand stroking her face gently. Harry, still in the cupboard, felt extremely uncomfortable and just hoped no one would open the pantry door anytime soon.

"What about Viktor and that sl…uh, Tania?"

"What about them?" Ron kissed her cheek softly then he found her lips, and Hermione stopped arguing. Harry stopped watching at this point and sat down on the floor. A few minutes passed and Harry was so bored he actually practiced shooting different coloured sparks out of his wand, trying to block out the soft moans from the kitchen.

Then he suddenly wondered how long he'd be in the cupboard. What if no one came into the kitchen? What if they carried on like that until nightfall, or later? He could starve to death by then…not likely as he was trapped in the food pantry, but still…

Harry was wondering if maybe he could somehow escape: crawl army-style across the floor or something, when he heard Ginny's voice. "Hey, have you guys seen…woah…"

Harry crawled quickly to the door and looked out. Hermione and Ron had just sprung apart, and both looked very sheepish. Ginny looked from one to the other then turned and left the room, a smirk forming on her shocked face.

Ron swore softly under his breath and Hermione giggled then hugged him tightly. "So, do we ruin Tania and that git, Krum's Christmas by telling them today, or do we wait?" Ron asked, gently stroking her hair.

"Ron…" Hermione began sadly, gently touching his face. "I live in America. This is why we broke up in the first place."

"So? I don't care, I love you. I'll treat you better this time, I promise."

Harry began to hum quietly to himself, his fingers now in his ears.

"And you don't mind?"

Ron shook his head and gently lifted Hermione's chin with two fingers. His lips almost on hers when Harry noticed that he wasn't the only one spying on this romantic meeting: Tania, Krum and Malfoy all stood in the kitchen doorway, mixed looks of shock, disbelief, and anger present on their faces.

"Get off my girlfriend!" Krum suddenly roared in his thick Bulgarian accent, running towards Ron and drawing his fist back to punch him in the face but Malfoy caught his arm and pulled him backwards. Stumbling out of the pantry, Harry helped Malfoy restrain Krum. But it wasn't Krum they should have been worrying about: in his place, Tania stepped forwards and slapped Ron hard. And then, to Harry's amazement, Hermione stepped forward and slapped her back.

"Stop!" Harry yelled. "All of you stop! Why don't you all just go and… and talk about this."

Krum glared at him then took Hermione's arm and pulled her bodily from the room. Ron and Tania left sulkily as well, leaving just Harry and Malfoy alone.

"You have a spider on your shoulder, Potter," Malfoy said dryly. "So do you often spy on your friends from inside a cupboard?"

Harry glared at him and wiped the spider off. "You were doing the same thing from the doorway, Malfoy. And for your information I didn't want to be in there…. I got stuck."

Malfoy laughed and shook his head. "Sorry…Harry."

They were just returning to the living room and the rest of the family, when loud shouting started upstairs. Harry expected there to be a lot of shouting (given the current situation), but not like this. He could hear Hermione's panicked voice and Krum's angry one; no this didn't sound right. Harry shot Malfoy one quick look and they dashed to the stairs. Meeting Ron at the second landing the three of them continued up until they were at Ron's bedroom: the source of the noise.

Bursting through the door, they met an awful scene: Hermione was on the floor, a hand on her face, tears leaking from her eyes, with Krum leaning over her, extremely red in the face and yelling loudly.

Fumbling in his pockets, Harry found his wand and pulled it out. Ron hadn't even bothered with his wand: he jumped on Krum and pulled him crashing down onto the floor. Meanwhile, Malfoy was helping Hermione to her feet and quickly led her out of the room.

Getting to his feet, Ron also drew his wand and stood next to Harry, both with their wands pointed at Krum who lay on the floor.

"Get up," Harry said in a very quiet voice. "Leave this house now. We don't want to ever see you here again. And if we hear that you've had any contact with Hermione, we'll find you and you'll regret it."

Krum nodded, a hand covering his bleeding nose where Ron had just hit him, and got up, running for the door.

---

"You should have let me hex him, Harry," said Ron as they entered the living room.

"You alright Hermione?"

Hermione was sitting on the sofa in the living room. Both Ginny and Fleur had their arms around her and she was crying. Stepping forwards, Ron knelt down in front of her and brushed away a tear. "I'll kill him for you if you want," he said. She just chuckled and hugged him tightly.

Looking around, Harry noticed that Tania and Malfoy weren't in the room. Maybe they'd gone home… Harry moved forward, trying to get closer to Hermione who now had a very anxious Mrs Weasley examining her face. Ginny squeezed out of the mass of people surrounding Hermione and took Harry's hand leading him over to a free armchair and sat down on his lap.

"Where's Malfoy?" Harry asked wrapping his arms around her waist.

"In the kitchen, comforting Tania." Ginny smirked and snuggled backwards into Harry's warm chest and spent the rest of the afternoon talking softly with Harry and joining in silly games with the rest of the family.

---

Ginny chucked a wrapped squishy package at Harry and grinned.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's your Christmas present. Or part of it anyway. Go on open it!"

Ginny walked over to him and sat onthe arm of his chairas he tore the red paper off and a teddy bear fell out. Laughing, Harry said, "A teddy bear? Why?"

"Well… when you take this new job Dad's about to offer you, you might be travelling a bit."

"A new job?" Harry asked sitting up straighter.

"Well, it's actually one of dad's colleagues who has a friend who knows someone who really wants you for this job."

"What is it?" Harry asked, now intrigued, but Ginny just shook her head, grinning mischievously. Then Harry shook his head too. "No, if it means travelling, I won't take it. I can't be away from you."

"Don't be stupid I'll come with you! Besides, you won't be gone for long. Just a couple of days at a time I think."

"Ginny, come on, what is it?"

"Well I'll give you a hint," she said playfully. "Dad's friend works in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, and _his _friend is captain of the Tornadoes…"

Harry's mouth fell open so fast his jaw cracked. "Are you saying…?"

Ginny leanedover and kissed his cheek. "They need a new Seeker," she said softly.

"Are you serious?" Harry laughed and stood up, picking Ginny up in his arms and twirling her around.

They were the only two left in the living room now; the rest of the Weasley family having gone up to bed. Lupin and Tonks had returned home, Malfoy and Tania were still sitting in the kitchen, deep in conversation, and Hermione and Ron had disappeared upstairs a while ago.

Ginny pressed another wrapped present into Harry's hand. Carefully, he peeled the paper off and found a wooden box inside.

"Open it!" Ginny insisted. Doing as he was told, Harry opened the box to find a beautifully engraved golden snitch inside.

"Ginny," Harry began breathlessly. "It's…wow."

He set the box down on the mantelpiece, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply. She threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him back, heat surging from one to the other.

They only stopped when they had run out of breath, but still stood together, their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

"Wait…I have your present too."

He pulled back a bit and took out a small box from his pocket. Ginny let go of him and took the present he was holding out to her. Sticking her thumbnail into the groove, she opened the small box and gasped. A diamond, surrounded by three small rubies, was set in a sliver ring, sitting on a tiny velvet cushion.

"Oh, Harry," she whispered, feeling her eyes burn with tears of delight and disbelief.

"You don't have to answer straight away!" Harry said earnestly. "And I want you to finish school first, and Healing school and whatever else you want to do." He cleared his throat and shakily lowered himself to one knee.

Ginny covered her mouth with a hand as joyful tears leaked from her eyes. She couldn't help but let out a happy sob as her stomach jumped and her heart beat fast.

"Ginny, I love you. I've never loved anyone else…I've never felt for anyone else, what I feel for you. I can't imagine my life without you and when I'm not holding you in my arms I miss you with all my heart. I want to spend the rest of my life, holding you, loving you and being with you…" He paused as she uncovered her mouth and beamed at him. "Ginny…will…will you marry me?"

Ginny hiccupped and nodded her head. "Yes. Yes of course I will!" Harry smiled widely and stood up, lifting her in his arms and spinning her around. Then her lips were again on his, their bodies pressed together, and Harry knew that he would never get sick of holding her, of kissing her. He would never tire of loving her.

"I love you," he whispered, placing her gently back on the ground. "You're a part of me. You make me whole."

_**Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous, love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.**_

- The End -

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Well there, u go. Please review. Also I want to know how many ppl want a sequel! Thanks a lot. Love you all! -annie xxx 


	19. Author's Tiny Little Note

**AN**: Hey everyone, just a little note saying i have posted a sequel...It's called "Real Love", so i hope you read it. I've got a pretty good plot worked out already so please tell me what you think! Once again, thanks to everyone who read this story. ok cya!


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